Headingley Test: Shubman Gill rues dropped catches, lower-order failure
What's the story
Skipper Shubman Gill talked about dropped catches and lower-order failure after India's defeat in the 1st Test against England at Headingley, Leeds. The hosts won after chasing down 371 on Day 5, their second-highest successful run-chase in Test cricket. The match was marked by several centuries and record-breaking events. Meanwhile, England skipper Ben Stokes drew confidence from "winning against quality oppositions" like India.
Summary
How the match panned out
India, being invited to bat, scored 471. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant slammed tons. England responded well (465), with Jasprit Bumrah taking a fifer. India (364), thereafter, banked on tons from KL Rahul and Pant but faced a collapse. England's chase saw a 188-run opening stand between Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley. Day 5 was eventful, but England won by five wickets.
Gill statement
'Had our chances,' says Gill
In the post-match presentation, Gill said, "We had our chances, we dropped catches and our lower-order didn't contribute enough, but proud of the team and overall a good effort." As mentioned, India dropped several catches in the field, with Jaiswal spilling four of them. According to Cricbuzz, no other Indian player has dropped more catches in a Test match.
Collapses
India's twin collapses
On India's batting collapses, Gill said, "When you are out there in the middle it happens so quickly, and I think it would be one of those things that we have to rectify in the upcoming matches." India collapsed from 287/4 to 364/10 in the second innings. The first innings saw a similar story, as India went down from 430/3 to 471 all-out.
Stokes statement
Great start to the series: Stokes
Speaking on England's historic win, Stokes asserted, "To win against quality oppositions, like we have for a number of times, it gives us confidence." "Been a great start to the series, got four more hard games to come. Honestly I think there's a lot of skill that has contributed to winning this Test match but also the attitude we showed was incredible," he added.
Do you know?
England's second-highest successful run-chase in Tests
As per ESPNcricinfo, England registered their second-highest successful run-chase in Test cricket (371). The highest score in this regard also came against India in 2022. They chased down 378 in the Birmingham Test.