Lessons from Leeds: The loss at Headingley has given India enough reasons to pause and reflect

There exists, in theory anyway, a minuscule minority that learns life’s most vital lessons without having to pay a heavy price on the way. For the rest, it is failure that is the greatest teacher, being knocked down but not out the builder of resilience, and making sub-optimal choices the reminder of how different things might have been.

The Indian cricket team, beaten at Leeds in the first Test, have been given plenty of reasons to pause and reflect. And, it will not be without regret and what-ifs.

What if they had not dropped catches left, right and centre, giving batsmen second chances and more on a good batting surface? What if the lower order had shown more fight and not collapsed to 7 for 41 in the first innings and 6 for 31 in the second? What if they had picked a seam-bowling allrounder or a batting seamer in whom they showed more faith than Shardul Thakur? What if Shubman Gill had imposed himself more on the state of play as captain?

Well, when a team has one bad session and is wiped out, the most appropriate response is to forget all about it and regroup. But, how does this team move to Edgbaston with some sense of having gained perspective when so much went in their favour and yet they lost?

Opening the batting in England is considered one of the toughest assignments in cricket, and yet Yashasvi Jaiswal (101) and KL Rahul (137) scored centuries in either innings of the game. Gill, who needed runs under the belt before he could lead from the front, was a picture of control, all silken shots and perfect balance, scoring 147 in his maiden outing as captain in the format that matters the most. Rishab Pant broke too many records to enumerate in these pages here, but 134 and 118, twin centuries in England, is worth underscoring, for no other Indian has managed this.

Then there is the biggest factor of them all. Jasprit Bumrah, the most difficult bowler to face in any format at the moment, delivered with the reliability of a banker, picking up 5 for 83 in the first innings. When Bumrah has the ball in hand, the game looks different, irrespective of the state of the pitch or the overhead conditions. He has the weapons in his arsenal and the acute game sense to get the best batsmen in the world out even when they are well set.

With all this going swimmingly well for India, they still lost. Just where does this team go from here, knowing that Bumrah is slated to play only two more of the remaining four Tests, with the side trailing 0-1? Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, rightly points out that the support for Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj has to be picked from a group that is almost completely inexperienced at Test level. The selectors see enough quality in that group, but the only way they mature and grow is by playing in different conditions, in pressure situations, against quality opposition. And, this will mean bearing short-term pain.

This batting line-up has lost the combined skill, wisdom and stature of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Sai Sudarshan was on debut, and Karun Nair was making a comeback after more than eight years. Sudarshan is undoubtedly one for the future, and Karun has earned his place back after showing tremendous never-say-die spirit and putting up runs on the board. But seeing their names on the team sheet is not going to intimidate any opposition bowlers just yet.

Ravindra Jadeja is by far the lead slow bowler India will pick, especially when playing only one of the kind, which is likely to be the case all series. England prefer pitches that allow batsmen to hit through the line, giving themselves the best chance of staying true to their positive-atall-costs approach. This leaves Jadeja with the dual task of giving his captain control and picking up wickets when the fast bowlers need respite.

These facts explain why this England tour is going to be no walk in the park for the Indian team. But Gill and Co. have not shown up for a study tour or to give England invaluable World Test Championship (WTC) points on a platter.

The challenge for Gill is to find a way to tilt the odds in India’s favour. While he grows into his role as captain and leader, Gill will have to coach, cajole and crack the whip to get the best out of his players. Gill will have to lean on the street smarts of Pant, his deputy, to create the heat of the contest on the field, even when things are not going India’s way. Gill will have to keep scoring his runs while picking a playing XI that can optimally balance putting enough runs on the board and taking 20 wickets.

Welcome to the hot seat, skipper. Leading India is indeed an honour and a privilege, but the key to lightening his burden lies in learning lessons without getting battered in the process

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com)