England skipper Joe Root shouldered responsibility after his team’s embarrassing 151-run loss in the second Test against India at Lord’s on Monday. Root took the blame for the massive defeat, saying he was tactically wrong as his side slipped 1-0 down in the five-match series.
England appeared to have taken control of the game when Ollie Robinson dismissed the dangerous Rishabh Pant and tailender Ishant Sharma early on the final day to leave India 209/8 with only 182 runs ahead.
However, India’s number 9 and 10, Mohammed Shami (56 no) and Jasprit Bumrah (34 no), took the game away from hosts. Root left the field wide open when Shami and Bumrah were batting. The duo took advantage of the tactical blunder and kept on rotating strikes to keep the scoreboard moving. Before the England skipper could realise his mistake, the tailender pair had formed an unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 89 runs.
India captain Virat Kohli declared shortly after lunch, setting the home team a target of 272 in 60 overs for the win. But, England crumbled to 120/10 in 51.5 overs, with seamer Mohammed Siraj claiming his second four-wicket haul of the match and the touring party scripted a memorable victory by 151 runs.
Root, who was dismissed by Bumrah in England’s second innings, admitted his errors and took full responsibility for the loss.
“I think a lot falls on my shoulders as captain. Tactically I could have done things slightly differently. The [Shami and Bumrah partnership] was the pivotal moment of the game, without question, and I don’t think I dealt with that well enough tactically. It put us in a difficult position,” said Root during the post-match presentation.
“Looking back, I’d look at some of the field placings and the way that we bowled. We could have looked at maybe attacking the stumps a little bit more frequently and using the short ball as more of a surprise,” the 30-year-old added.
