‘Pretty ordinary, not Test class…’ - Sunil Gavaskar hits Team India with reality check after 5-wicket defeat against England

The new-look Team India, under the captaincy of young batter Shubman Gill, faced a big 5-wicket defeat against England in the first Test of the five-match series. The series' opening game was played at Headingley in Leeds from June 20 to June 24. India. India lost the game despite a good batting performance in both innings, including five centuries.

Star top-order batter Ben Duckett was a vital cog in the wheel for England to win this game; he smashed one of the most important centuries of his Test career. He scored 149 runs off 170 balls, with 21 fours and a spectacular six on reverse sweep against Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling.

Meanwhile, the former India skipper and the legendary batter of his time, Sunil Gavaskar, came up with a blunt opinion while dissecting India’s defeat in the first Test against the hosts.

The out-fielding was pretty ordinary – Sunil Gavaskar

Gavaskar also gave a reality check to Team India, as the young captain’s team failed to capitalise on the good starts in the game and couldn’t hold onto their strong position for a longer period.

“Full credit to England. Despite India having five centurions, they seemed to have that confidence. That is what made them take the final wickets. That is where India also missed out, because those extra runs could have made the difference. As far as the fielding was concerned, it's just not the catch, but the out-fielding was pretty ordinary. Not Test class,” said Gavaskar on Sony Sports.

“Very good pitch to bat on, so very tough to criticise the bowlers. Bumrah bowled so well. If he had somebody keeping it a bit tight, that would have been a big help. But this is the first Test. Hopefully, lessons have been learned. There are eight days for the next match,” he added later.