Trying to make sense of India’s odd loss to England

Imagine this: India need 71 runs off 30 balls with five wickets in hand and MS Dhoni at the crease in a World Cup semi-final or final and instead of going all guns blazing for the chase, he nudges and nurdles the ball to different parts of the ground for singles or doubles. 

That would be a real crime and questions would be raised about the integrity of the player, especially given his calibre and records. 

Calls of this being a fixed match and this having political undertones as it decreases the chances of Pakistan qualifying, may just be blatant exaggeration and nothing more.

What was the tactic behind this?

What happened at Edgbaston was different though. Yes, India did try hard at chasing the runs down for the most part of the innings, but then, instead of going for the target, they baited and switched. 

This wasn’t a must-win match for India, and in some ways, they used this match as a litmus test for what to do, and what works; and what not to do and what doesn’t work.

India brought in Rishabh Pant into the side and gave him an opportunity at number four - a position that India have struggled to find a fixed player for. 

They also stuck with Kedar Jhadav, a player that hasn’t been able to score quick runs, and this might be his last chance with Ravindra Jadeja waiting in the wings, 

India still have two games remaining, one against Bangladesh and another against Sri Lanka and both are opposition they would be favourites against and have excellent records against.

It may seem naive to think that the two remaining games will be any easier, as Sri Lanka have shown they can cause an upset when they beat England, and Bangladesh have also shown that they are going to be a challenge for any team and are in the race for a semi-spot. 

How does this affect India against Bangladesh?

While this tactic, which can be called arrogant, has upset a lot of Indian fans that booed their team at the end of the game, it needs to be seen how the Indian team reacts.

It could be said that India become more galvanised and stronger as a team because of this loss and play the key moments better moving forward.

It could also be that India don’t want to peak too early and then make these mistakes in a knockout match. 

“Every team has lost a game or two here and there. No-one likes to lose but we have to take it in our stride,” India’s captain Virat Kohli said at the post-match press conference.

“We have to accept it. We are still playing good cricket. The mood is the same in the changing room. We will learn from it and move forward,” Kohli explained.

But it certainly does give Bangladesh a chance to pounce on this Indian team, which looked unbeatable before this loss. 

It gives the Tigers an idea as to what they need to do to beat India given the resources they have. 

The way the fans turned on India could also have a negative impact on India, and it is something that a lot of the newer members of the team are not used to.

Bangladesh will definitely want to use that to their strength and rekindle memories of 2007 when they defeated India in the World Cup.