Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to India's loss in ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test ft. Harbhajan Singh 

The opening Test of the much-anticipated five-match series between India and England concluded on Tuesday, June 24, with the hosts clinching a five-wicket victory at Headingley, Leeds. After being put in to bat, India got off to a strong start as Yashasvi Jaiswal struck a fluent 101 off 159 balls.

Captain Shubman Gill (147) and vice-captain Rishabh Pant (134) followed up with commanding centuries. However, what looked like a massive total quickly unraveled — India collapsed from 430/3 to 471 all out, losing their last seven wickets for just 41 runs.

In reply, England posted 465, with Ollie Pope (106) and Harry Brook (99) making significant contributions. India didn’t help their cause, dropping four catches — three by Jaiswal alone. Despite the sloppy fielding, Jasprit Bumrah impressed with a five-wicket haul.

In the second innings, KL Rahul (137) and Pant (118) once again stood tall. However, the lower-middle order faltered yet again, as India slumped from 287/3 to 364 all out, setting England a target of 371.

During the chase, Ben Duckett laid the foundation with a superb 149, surviving a key drop by Jaiswal on 97. Zak Crawley added 65, while Joe Root (53*) and Jamie Smith (44*) saw England home in the final session with five wickets in hand.

This defeat marks India’s second Test loss while defending a total above 350 — both against England. With the series now off to a rough start for India, in this article, we take a look at five expert reactions to their defeat in the first Test.

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5 expert reactions to India's loss in ENG vs IND 2025 1st Test

#1 Harbhajan Singh

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh praised England for their remarkable 371-run chase on the final day, while strongly criticizing the Indian team for lacking intent. The 44-year-old remarked that the visitors didn’t show enough urgency to take wickets and also slammed the defensive field placements.

Sharing his views on his YouTube channel, @harbhajanturbanatorsingh996, Harbhajan said:

“Chasing 371 runs in the fourth innings — regardless of pitch conditions — is never easy. But what truly matters is intent, and I felt that intent was slightly lacking in Team India’s bowling. When this team went abroad, we had said that it’s okay even if they lose, no problem — they will come back having learned a lot. It’s a young team — but that applies to the batting. When it comes to bowling, this team is still just as experienced and capable. So, better things were expected from this bowling unit.”

“I believe the bowling could have been much better, and even the field placements didn’t look particularly attacking — it didn’t seem like there was a strong attempt to get wickets. They played a bit of a waiting game. We saw several times that the slip cordon was removed, and there were no catching fielders. In my opinion, the bowling could have been a lot better — and chasing 371 runs is no small feat,” he added.

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#2 Ravi Shastri

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri, speaking on Sky Sports, said the defeat would be a tough pill to swallow and held India accountable for their own downfall — citing batting collapses in both innings and sloppy catching. The 63-year-old stated:

“I think it’s a tough pill to swallow. You know, you don’t get into positions where you're 430 for three and then blow it from there. They knew they had a chance to really take England out of the game — out of the contest — and then dictate terms. But you’ve got to learn from your mistakes. The first thing would be more fight from the tail. They’ll have to get into the nets, get the slingers to ram it in, get behind it, be stubborn, and put a price tag on their wicket. That’s number one.”

“Number two, the catching. You know, you can’t do anything if you drop five catches in one innings and then again two or three in the second. Good sides will make you pay for it. And in England — you know how good England are, especially in a chase — they made India pay the price for it," he added.

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#3 Irfan Pathan

Speaking on his YouTube channel @officialIrfanPathan, former Indian all-rounder said the team’s defeat was largely due to their batting collapses in both innings and the five dropped catches. The 40-year-old stated:

“Look, when you're 430/3 in the first innings and then get all out for 471 — it means you've simply surrendered. You lost seven wickets for just 41 runs. That’s where the match started slipping. Then when you came out to field, you dropped five catches. If you’re going to drop catches, this is what happens in the end.”

“If you hadn’t dropped those catches, if your last four or five batters hadn’t folded so easily, and if you had added at least 100 more runs, you could’ve sealed the match. In the first innings, you needed to score 550 — but you couldn’t. You needed to hold on to those catches — but you dropped five of them, and those were off Bumrah’s bowling. Bumrah should’ve had seven or eight wickets,” he added.

Pathan also noted that Jasprit Bumrah had an off day on the final day of the Test and emphasized the need for support from the rest of the bowling unit. He added that if the visitors believe they can win a series by relying solely on one bowler, it’s nothing more than wishful thinking. He said:

“He was the lone warrior, the only one picking up wickets — but wickets can only come from one end to a point. He also needs rest. He can’t keep bowling all the time. His fatigue was visible in the second innings. Look, if you keep bowling 20–25 overs in every innings, you will get tired. It felt like Bumrah was exhausted in the second innings. It was an off day — even Bumrah can have one. Every great bowler can. But he needs support. If you think you can win a series relying on a single bowler, that’s just wishful thinking. The other bowlers will have to step up.”

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#4 Aakash Chopra

Former opener Aakash Chopra said the primary reason for India’s defeat was their batting collapses in both innings. In a video shared on his YouTube channel @CricketAakash, the 47-year-old shared:

"The number one reason will be the kind of collapses that happened. The difference is that their tail wags. When it happened like that in the first innings, you felt it might be better in the second innings, but it was exactly the same in the second innings as well. You were in a very strong position and were thinking of declaration, but one wicket, and you lost everything.”

"This has not happened once but repeatedly, and I feel it will keep happening. It will be a point of discussion and a cause for concern. I am saying that because if Bumrah is playing, Siraj and Prasidh Krishna play with him, you have three No. 11s batting from Nos. 9 to 11,” he added.

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#5 Nasser Hussain

Former England captain Nasser Hussain, speaking on Sky Sports, opined that skipper Shubman Gill lacked the aura of former leaders Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He also noted that the 25-year-old appeared more reactive than proactive in his approach. He said:

"I thought I saw someone just finding his way, honestly. You've got to be very careful in the first Test match, the people he's taken over from, Kohli, and then Rohit Sharma. I thought he didn't quite have that on-field aura as the names I mentioned there. You look down on those two previous names, and you immediately see who was in charge of India."

"I looked down from the press box, the commentary position, there were a lot of captains; it was a bit captaincy by committee, which can happen in your early days as a leader because you're still senior players like Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul want to try and help you out as much as possible. I thought he followed the ball a lot. I thought he was reactive as opposed to proactive,” he added.

The 57-year-old further stated that the two major reasons for India’s defeat were poor catching and repeated lower-order collapses. He pointed out that while India had quality spin-bowling all-rounders like Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin in home conditions, they lacked a seam-bowling all-rounder in English conditions. He said:

“They lost the game due to two things that he couldn't control. The slip cordon and the catching were poor — something India have done well in over the last two or three years. And the collapses concern me, because in India, they have a lower order with spin-bowling all-rounders — and have had for the last decade — who are magnificent: Ashwin, Jadeja, Axar Patel.”

“In England, they are still looking, I think, for that seam-bowling all-rounder — someone like a Hardik Pandya, or going back to Ravi’s times, Kapil Dev or whoever. They are still searching for that lower-order bowler who can bat. And if they keep going seven for 41 and six for 30 or whatever, then this could be a quick series. They need runs down the order,” Nasser continued.

India will look to bounce back in the second Test, which begins on Wednesday, July 2, at Edgbaston, Birmingham.