"There was no excuse in the 3rd innings" - Wasim Jaffer blames India's batters for loss in 5th IND vs ENG Test

Cricketer-turned-analyst Wasim Jaffer has pinned the blame for India's seven-wicket defeat in the Edgbaston Test against England on the visitors' batting group. He remarked that India have "no excuse" for not crossing the 350-run mark in their second innings.

India took a 132-run first-innings lead after dismissing England for 284. The pitch conditions remained almost equally difficult (or easy) to bat throughout. During India's second innings, there was some uneven bounce but minimal swing. Every batter except Cheteshwar Pujara and Rishabh Pant failed to apply himself. They could only make 245 and England chased down the 378-run target in a canter.

In this regard, he told ESPNcricinfo:

"Yes (whether batters should be blamed for the defeat), absolutely. The conditions in the first innings were a bit difficult but there was no excuse in the third innings. India should have scored 350-400."

Asked whether India's bowlers gave too many freebies to the Englishmen, Jaffer replied in the affirmative, but also called for praising Joe Root (142 off 173 not out) and (114 off 145 not out) for showing "batsmanship of another level". He added:

"Yes, but you have to praise Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow too. It was batsmanship of another level."

India came into the Test with a lead of 2-1 in the five-Test series, having dominated the previous four Tests that were played in 2021. But Jasprit Bumrah and Co. will now have to be content with sharing the Pataudi Trophy.

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Joe Root can break Sachin Tendulkar's record: Wasim Jaffer

It was Root's 28th Test century and he got there before his peers Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, and Steve Smith. He's now the 12th-highest run-scorer in Tests with 10458 runs, 5463 behind chart-topper Sachin Tendulkar.

Jaffer believes if the former England skipper plays for another five to six years, he's "capable" of breaking Tendulkar's world record. The Ranji Trophy legend said in this regard:

"He can do it provided he plays that long. He's still 31 but we know Australian and English players don't have long careers. If he plays for 5-6 years more, he's capable of breaking the record."

India will now play a five-T20I series against England, starting July 7.

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