- June 28, 2025
You realize that acute and horrible feeling when everything nearly works out, but it doesn’t quite? That’s essentially how India’s Leeds Test felt. They scored 800 runs in two innings and controlled large parts of the game, yet they still lost. And now it’s time to start the blame game – The batters, the bowlers, or the butter-fingered fielders? Let’s look at it painfully, piece by painful piece.
When Runs Were Left on the Table?
Sure, India’s batters did their job, technically speaking. 800 runs are no laughing matter, right? But look a little deeper, and you see the flaws. The top order looked solid until they didn’t. The real problem? The lower-order batting collapses in both innings. The last six batters across both innings made barely over 60 runs. Any way you slice that, that’s a nosedive in red-ball.
It wasn’t just getting out — it was all about how they got out — Prasidh skying a catch, Bumrah swinging like it was a T20, Shardul playing expansive drives with no regard for the match situation. Sidharth Monga, an expert on dismissals, said the tailenders didn’t just lose their wickets — they handed them over on a silver plate.
On a pitch that was beginning to seem increasingly favourable to bat on, India’s batters squandered a winning position. And this wasn’t the first time. They’ve been bitten by England’s ‘Bazball’ before, and 450+ just isn’t enough again.
Bowling Plans Gone Missing on Day Five
But just wait—what about the bowlers? India had 370 runs to defend on a last-day pitch that was not particularly naughty. That’s more than many teams need to win a Test. But when it mattered, there was no direction and no discipline in the attack.
Bumrah and Siraj opened with precision and purpose, tightening the screws early on—but the wheels came off just as momentum began to build. The next 2 bowlers (Prasidh Krishnan and Shardul Thakur) bowed to no one, couldn’t contain lines or lengths, and threw out a whole lot of buffet meals to a staring, hungry (and stubborn) English-side batters. Siraj (India’s second-best pacer on the day) bowled one spell in the last session. Bumrah didn’t bowl in the last session after he had bowled a three-over spell, even with the game slipping away.
The Fielding Fallout: 200 Runs Worth of Regret
When thinking about India’s loss at Leeds, you can’t escape the fielding—or lack thereof. The dropped catches were endless, and it wasn’t just one or two absolute sitters. The experts’ consensus is that India’s dropped catches probably cost them upwards of 200 runs. Let that sink in.
Most of the drops are at the slip or gully and, even more so, at the downhill end in Headingley, which is half a level below the pitch and is no excuse. At least, it explains why even KL Rahul looked a little surprised when he finally ended up holding a catch.
So, who is to blame for India losing the Leeds Test? The batters who couldn’t complete the job? The bowlers who dropped the ball, both literally and metaphorically, on Day Five? The fielders who butchered multiple golden opportunities? To be fair, it was probably all of them – death by a thousand cuts. However, if we had to pick one, the majority opinion seems to lean towards the batters. Because, even with all of the dropped catches and sloppy bowling, the match was still there for the taking, as long as India showed up – and they just didn’t when it mattered.
But hey, that’s the beauty and brutality of Test cricket, right? Now, the big question: will India learn from this disappointment before the next Bazball onslaught? Or will we be treated to another repeat? You tell me.
For more, visit JeetBuzz News to read our quality Cricket Blog updates. Explore if you want to reminisce and enjoy all of your favourite cricket players and nostalgic match moments. To ensure that you never miss out, keep updated and join in the fun!
