England vs India 2018, 3rd Test: 4 reasons why England lost the game

After two successive victories over India, the hosts registered their first defeat in the 3rd Test of the 5-match series.

Perhaps, England's decision of opting to bowl first, along with their inability to strike hard against a stronger Indian team led to their defeat.

Let us have a look at the four reasons which led to England's defeat against India in the 3rd Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.

---

#4 Weak opening partnership

Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings didn't contribute much to the team's total

England relied on the services of their opening duo of Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings to help them get off to a decent start.

Unfortunately, both the openers failed to make it big during the second and the fourth innings, and as a result, the entire pressure came onto the remaining batsmen to somehow ensure the scoreboard ticking.

Cook and Jennings scored a total of 36 and 33 respectively which didn't contribute much to the team's total.

---

#3 Ollie Pope's inclusion didn't bring any fruitful result for the Englishmen

Ollie Pope will have to level up his performance

The 20-year-old who came in at No. 4 in both the innings of the game, delivered a feeble performance in the middle. With scores of 10 and 16 during the second and fourth innings, his selection into the fourth Test now remains a big question.

Chances are that he might lose out his place to Sam Curran who had to sit out despite contributing to the team's victory in the first and second Tests at Edgbaston and Lord's respectively.

#2 Joe Root's inability to score played a major role in their defeat

Joe Root will have to come back stronger in the remaining Tests

The English skipper amassed a feeble total of 16 and 13 in the 2nd and 4th innings of the game and was dismissed by Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah on the respective occasions.

He failed to stand tall when it was needed the most amidst the gruelling situation, and as a result was one of the reasons behind England's defeat, in what was supposed to be a victory prior to the start of the game.

#1 English bowlers failed to make a dent

English bowlers failed to drill deep into the Indian lineup

English bowlers couldn't get the crucial wickets when it was needed the most, and as result, suffered tremendously against the visiting unit.

While they bowled pretty well in the 1st innings and managed to curb the Indian team for a total of 329 in the 94.5 overs of play, it was their third innings performance which faltered to make any dent.

Adil Rashid was the leading wicket-taker for England in the third innings, as he ended up picking three wickets at the expense of 101 runs during his 27 overs of gameplay. Stokes managed to pick a couple, with Pujara's wicket being one of them.

Among Broad and Anderson, it was the latter who picked a solitary wicket, with the former being wicketless throughout the third innings.