at the third game of the series at Rajkot, the tourists were humiliated by a 434-run loss that was England’s worst run-chase since 1934. However, it was the way they gave up that caused them to fall down 2-1 in the five-game series, prompting calls for a critical examination of their daring strategy. With opener batsman Ben Duckett leading the charge, England responded to India’s first-innings score of 445 with 207-2 on the third day of the third Test.
However, everything collapsed with astonishing rapidity as the tourists lost their final eight wickets for 95 runs, giving India the upper hand.
The way that former captain Joe Root was dismissed, being caught for eighteen after attempting a dangerous reverse scoop off Test cricket’s number one bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, earned him some of the toughest criticism.
According to British Daily Telegraph chief cricket writer Scyld Berry, it was the “worst, most stupid, shot in the history of England’s Test cricket.”
Using the tourists’ playbook as a guide, Yashasvi Jaiswal stole the game from England with a daring 214 not out in the second innings of India.
