According to former England captain Michael Vaughan, their most deprived performance under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum came in the Rajkot loss to India. Vaughan asked that England play situationally rather than always going for the kill. In an attempt to chase an unlikely 557 on Day 4 of the third Test in Rajkot, the Ben Stokes-led team lost by 434 runs.
On the third morning, the tourists paid a heavy price for their subpar batting display when they lost their last eight wickets for only 95 runs, falling from 224-2 to 319. India defeated the tourists after they gave up a 126-run lead during this phase of play.
During the fourth inning, none of the top-order batsmen scored significantly, and England fell to 122. Without Mark Wood’s 33, the tourists could have all left before 100 runs.
“Worst defeat under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum” – Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan stated in his editorial for The Telegraph that England wasted the great opportunity in Rajkot. He believes that in order to improve going forward, the management needs to be open and honest.
“England make out that everything is positive but they need to be having conversations about how to bat better. This was the worst defeat under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, and one that exposed their method. They cannot take the aggressive at every opportunity, they have to pick their moments,” he explained.
“From the position England found themselves in on day three, India, with all their absentees, were there for the taking,” he added.
“They need to look at the way they played on day 3” – Michael Vaughan on Jaiswal and Gill’s innings
India has provided an excellent approach, which Michael Vaughan also emphasized England should learn from. They absorbed the pressure for 30 or 40 balls, the former cricket player turned commentator continued, before they began to score boundaries.
“They need to look at the way Jaiswal and Shubman Gill played on day three. They soaked up the pressure for 30 or 40 balls, and then they started to get boundaries. That is what Test batting is about. India have scored 875 runs in 228.5 overs. No one can tell me it’s been boring watching India bat here,” Vaughan reflected.
As India leads the five-match series 2-1, Ravindra Jadeja, who took a fifer and smashed a century, was named Player of the Match in the third Test. India will square off at Ranchi on February 23rd for the 4th test match of the series.