- August 2, 2025
We’ve all faced those maddening stretches—where every little thing feels cursed, like the universe hit shuffle on your bad luck playlist. Now multiply that by five extended Test matches. That’s the Indian experience through this topsy-turvy series in England. The fact that they lost every toss, coupled with wickets that fell in the most ridiculous fashions, was a run of unlucky events that would make the most jaded of cricket fans shake their head and mutter, “Not again.” However, there is also the refusal to lose, let’s call it resiliency, and that is quite refreshing to watch. So how has this series been a true test of everything that is India’s character, composure, and cricketing core, and can we make sense of this sequence of unfortunate events?
When the Toss Becomes a Curse
Losing a toss is bad luck. Losing them all? That’s a cricketing curse. India’s woes started before a ball had been bowled in either match. When the skies are heavily overcast and the green pitches give games away, especially in England, every toss is worth its weight in gold. England wasted no time with the new ball. It zipped and gripped and nipped around like it was in charge of its dance. India were never in command; they had a catch-up match on their hands – again.
It felt like déjà vu of 2014 and 2018, where early collapses turned into long, energy-sapping days in the field. And this time, that pattern repeated. A mistimed run, a slip at the wrong moment, and boom—Gill’s bizarre run-out summed up the entire tour. It wasn’t about bad cricket. It was just… bad timing.
Gill’s Slip and the Domino Effect
Every series has its moments, and this series may well have a misjudged nudge and a slippery U-turn. Shubman Gill, who had been batting beautifully throughout, misread an in-swinger and set off with no plan. In an instant, a moment of genius had become a moment of despair. He was run out after being one of India’s most dependable batters on this tour.
It echoed Cheteshwar Pujara’s slow-motion dismissal from years past. And it raised the same questions: Why do India’s most composed batters lose their heads at crucial times? Is it pressure, miscommunication, or just bad cricketing karma?
What made it worse was what followed. A string of soft dismissals, reckless strokes, and England’s inconsistent—but occasionally lethal—bowling created the perfect storm. Josh Tongue, for example, mixed wayward spells with outright jaffas. India simply couldn’t settle.
When All Else Fails, Fight Back—Quietly
But when all seemed set for yet another collapse/another chase from behind, India changed the script. Enter Karun Nair and Washington Sundar. Both entered with baggage. Nair had not hit a fifty since his 303 nine years ago. While Sundar is a cricketing talent, he is still making a name for himself in the Test set-up.
The duo provided calm during the storm. With no fuss or panic, they then built a partnership of over 50 answering your old school challenge: see the good balls, put away the bad ones, and keep the clock moving. India ended the day at 203 for 6 – not great but much better than the alternative.
Ryan ten Doeschate, India’s assistant coach, summed it up very well. It wasn’t a horror show, but it wasn’t easy either. It was one of those pitches where every ball could end your innings. That India ended the day fighting – without fireworks – is good.
What do you think, is this series exposing India’s weaknesses, or is it just making them stronger under pressure?
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