After 9 successive ODI series win since 2016, the Indian Cricket team under the captaincy of Virat Kohli could not perform according to expectations as they lost ODI series against the number 1 ODI team in the World England 1-2.
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India won the first match at Trent Bridge easily and then the hosts came back strongly to win next two matches to win series. It was a disappointing performance by Indian team who were outplayed by England side.
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Here we look at the 5 reasons why India lost the One day international series against England:-
- Injuries to their key bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah
The two best bowlers in India’s ODI team Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the limited overs series due to an injury. Bhuvneshwar Kumar did not look at his best in the 3rd and deciding ODI at Leeds.
Umesh Yadav and Siddarth Kaul who played the first two ODI matches could not pick early wickets, also did not control the run flow. AT Trent Bridge, Umesh Yadav and Siddarth Kaul gave away 71 runs in the first 10 overs. In the second match too, both bowlers gave away 69 runs in the first 10 overs. At Leeds on 17th July 2018, Shardul Thakur was bought into the team and was not impressive giving away 51 runs in 10 overs and taking 1 wicket.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar who played the last ODI at Leeds did not look his best giving away 49 runs in 7 overs. Without Bumrah, Indian pace bowlers lacked the firepower to dismiss strong English batting line up.
- Over-dependence on the top 3
The Indian Cricket is dependent for top 3 batsmen to score runs heavily. This was the case in this series too. Rohit Sharma scored 137 not out in India’s win over England at Trent Bridge, failed to contribute big time in the next two matches.
Rohit Sharma scored 154 runs in 3 matches. Shikhar Dhawan got starts in all three matches but was not able to convert into big scores. The stylish left-handed batsman had scores of 40,36 and 44. He made a total of 120 runs from 3 matches. Indian captain Virat Kohli was the top scorer with 194 runs from 3 matches. He made scores of 75, 45 and 71.
- Middle order failure
If the top order did not provide good starts, the middle order comprising of Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, KL Rahul was not able to justify and help team India post or chase down big totals. In the 2nd ODI played at Lords, with Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma out early, KL Rahul came at number 4 and was dismissed for 0.
Suresh Raina was bought as a replacement for Rayudu and did not justify by scoring a slow 46 in the 2nd ODI match. MS Dhoni could only score 59 balls 37 which led India to a big defeat. Suresh Raina scored 47 runs from 2 matches. Dinesh Karthik was tried in the 3rd ODI and he disappointed with 21 runs. In the third also, MS Dhoni scored 42 off 66 balls which did not help India’s cause. With the World Cup 2019 coming up, India needs to fix number 4 position as soon as possible.
- Hardik Pandya failure with both bat and ball
Hardik Pandya’s performance in the 3 match ODI series with both and ball was not up to the mark. In the 3 matches he batted, the hard-hitting all-rounder did not get to bat in the 1st ODI as India won the match by 8 wickets. He scored 21 off 22 in the 2nd ODI at Lords and also during the 3rd match at Leeds, Pandya contributed 21 off 21. His performance in ODI series against South Africa this year was not great also.
With the ball also, Hardik Pandya gave away 47 runs in his 7 overs during India’s win over England at Trent Bridge. At Lords, despite picking 1 wicket he was expensive giving away 70 runs which helped the hosts to post 322. In the deciding ODI played at Leeds on 17th July, Hardik Pandya was given the 2nd over and went for 39 runs in 5.3 overs. He needs to understand his role and fulfil the role of the all-rounder.
- Yuzvendra Chahal not creating the same impact as Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav was the star of the Indian team in ODI series with 9 wickets from 3 matches. In the first match, left arm Chinamen bowler ripped the England batting line-up with 6 for 25. At Lords, he picked 3 wickets but was expensive giving away 68 runs. In deciding ODI, Kuldeep Yadav was taken for 55 runs and also did not pick any wicket.
His spinning partner Yuzvendra Chahal did not have the same impact. He gave away 51 runs in his 10 overs and took only 1 wicket in the first ODI at Trent Bridge where India won the match by 8 wickets. In the 2nd ODI at Lords, Chahal bowled well giving away 43 and taking 1 wicket. At Leeds, despite being best bowler giving away 41 runs, the right arm leg spin bowler did not pick any wicket.
Chahal needs to work on his variations if he wants to be in the 2019 World Cup squad. He performed well in ODI series against South Africa this year.