8 reasons why Kohli’s Team India lost the Test series

England has won the fourth Test by 60 runs. India has lost the five-match series 3-1. There’s one more match to go but that’s only of academic interest. Here’s why the hosts got the better of Kohli’s million-dollar babies:

England’s Joe Root celebrates with teammates after winning the fourth Test. (Reuters photo)

1.       Opening misery: India’s three opening batsmen, Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul, failed to score a single half-century in four Tests. In the third Test when Dhawan and Rahul cobbled up decent partnerships of 60 apiece in both innings, India won.

2.       There’s only one Virat Kohli: Barring captain Kohli (544 runs, av: 68), the batting unit failed miserably. Of the rest, only Pujara (av: 48.20) delivered to some degree. The rest showed little attitude and aptitude for a fight in hostile conditions.

3.       Flop lower middle-order: England’s lower middle order, especially Sam Curran and Chris Woakes, acted as bulwarks when the top order collapsed. Their batting changed the course of the game. India had no such luck.

4.       Poor selections: Pujara was kept out of the first Test. In the second Test, India played with an extra spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, despite overcast conditions ideal for seam bowling.

5.       Unable to win key moments: The series has been much closer than the result indicates. India had England on the mat (7/87) in the second innings of the first Test. But Adil Rashid’s dropped catch — Dhawan being the culprit — off Umesh Yadav allowed England to bounce back. Again in the fourth Test, India let England out of jail (6/86) and reach a healthy 246 in the first innings.

6.       Wicket-keeper batsmen flop: India’s two wicket-keepers, Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant, have been major batting flops while England’s Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler have made decisive contributions.

7.       Ineffective Ashwin: In the fourth Test, England’s off-spinner Moeen Ali was far more potent than his vastly superior counterpart R Ashwin.

8.       Absence of innovation and daring: There was an absence of out-of-the-box thinking in the Indian camp. For instance, Pant could have been asked to open to catch the hosts off-guard in the second innings of the fourth Test.