Virat Kohli's brother takes dig at India's bowling flop show in Manchester Test
Jasprit Bumrah had an off day, conceding over 100 runs in an innings for the first time in his Test career. Ravindra Jadeja took four wickets but gave away 143 runs, while Mohammed Siraj bowled 30 overs for 140 runs. Shardul Thakur and debutant Anshul Kamboj bowled a combined 29 overs out of the 157.1 India spent in the field — a figure that underscores their ineffective bowling effort.Bumrah's lack of impact was further compounded by the absence of support from the rest of the attack. England built a massive 311-run lead, exposing India's failure to bowl out teams consistently — an issue that has plagued the side during Gautam Gambhir's tenure as head coach.A major talking point has been India's continued preference for all-rounders over specialist bowlers. Despite bouncing back in Birmingham after the loss in Leeds, India suffered a 22-run defeat at Lord's and again looked short of cutting edge in Manchester. The decision to hand a debut to Anshul Kamboj proved costly, as the youngster struggled to cross even 130 kph, looking underprepared for the occasion.| Manchester Test Day 4 Updates |Under Gambhir's leadership, first with Rohit Sharma as captain and now with Shubman Gill, India have persisted with an extended batting line-up featuring multiple all-rounders, often at the cost of playing five frontline bowlers. This is in stark contrast to the philosophy employed by Virat Kohli, who was known for backing specialist bowlers — even if it meant sacrificing a batter.Kohli's approach reaped rewards, particularly overseas, as India won two Test series in Australia and dominated England in the 2021–22 series. Kohli ended up as India's most successful Test captain, winning 40 off 68 Tests he led India in.Criticism has also been levelled at India's reluctance to play Kuldeep Yadav, a proven wicket-taker across formats. Former England captain Michael Vaughan remarked that Kuldeep might have proved effective in Manchester, where conditions offered more to spinners than in the previous Tests.The decision to lengthen the batting line-up hasn't yielded the desired dividends either. India have repeatedly suffered lower-order collapses, including in Manchester, where the final four wickets added just 21 runs.- EndsTune InYou May Also Like
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India.com
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Hindustan Times
14 minutes ago
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