3 Reasons why India lost the 1st Test

So, one of the most entertaining Test matches in recent times, but not a result the Indian fans were hoping for, nevertheless it was a performance that will give them confidence, especially the bowlers and the captain. But, barring Virat Kohli, no Indian batsman gave a fight or made the England bowlers work hard to take their wicket.

The first Test at Edgbaston was as exciting as a Test match can be. England did win more sessions compared to India, but the Iatter were more decisive with their dominance over the opponents.

The No. 1 Test team held an advantage over the three lions at lunch on day 3, as India was in pole position to win the Test with the English team struggling at 87- 7 after the 31st over as Ishant took three wickets in an over.

But then our bowlers failed to clean up the trail early, leaked runs, and that resulted in a 140-150 run target being converted into a tricky 194. Sam Curran, the Man of the match, made the difference with his 64 in England's second innings as he was aided by the drop catches in the slip cordon, a major problem Indian management needs to look at.

Virat Kohli was the lone wolf standing while the entire team was collapsing like a pack of cards. But as a captain, there were decisions taken by the 29-year-old which backfired and eventually was a reason for India's defeat.

Team selection, poor performances are the some of the issues India needs to sort out before they go to Lord’s and try to make a comeback in the series.

We look at the 3 things that made a difference in the series opener at Birmingham.

3. Failing to clean up the tail early

England v India: Specsavers 1st Test - Day Three

After Ishant Sharma's triple strike at the stroke of lunch on Day 3, it was certainly India's game to lose from that point. But, Virat Kohli and his men squandered an opportunity to capitalise on England's middle order collapse. From 87-7 England raced away to 180 all out as India had to chase a challenging target of 194. Dropped catches and Kohli's decision to take Ashwin out of the bowling attack, especially when a 20-year-old left-hander was at the crease backfired.

2. Poor fielding in the slip cordon

According to many fans, the prime reason for India's defeat is the poor fielding in the slip cordon. Overall in the Test match, India dropped 4 catches, all of them in the slips. During England's second innings, Dhawan put down Curran on 13 and he went on to score another 50 runs in the innings and that turned out to be the difference between the 2 sides.

Slip catching has been a major problem for India after the retirement of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, both of whom held on to most of the catches. Since 2013, India have taken 38 catches and dropped 46 in the slips. It’s major problem India needs to look at and find a solution for the same.

1. Selecting Dhawan instead of Pujara

Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire - Specsavers County Championship: Division One

The talk before the start of the series was about will India play both Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul instead of Cheteshwar Pujara or drop one of the openers for the Test specialist. As the game unfolded, Dhawan scored just 39 runs over 2 innings and dropped catches at crucial stages in the game that made the difference.

Though Pujara wasn’t enjoying a good run in the county games his temperament with the bat can make the difference. It won’t be surprising if India drop Dhawan and include Pujara in the 2nd Test at the Mecca of Cricket.

There are a few areas of concern that the Indian dressing room needs to look at as they look to make a comeback at Lord's and level the series.