India vs England | Hardik Pandya believes toss played biggest part in England's success

After a loss in the first Test match which took place at Edgbaston, Team India needed a result at Lord's to keep the hope of a decade long wait for a Test series win in England alive. The rain hit match started off on the second day after Day 1 was washed out, and the English bowlers managed to tear down the Indian batting line up and restrict them to a low score of 107 all out. The Indian bowling attack also seemed to fail as the English managed to mount a lead of 250 runs while all the Indian bowlers struggled with their strategies to restrict them. 

However, Hardik Pandya attributed England’s dominating performance to luck at the toss rather than the visitors’ poor batting, bowling or team selection for staring at a possible defeat in the rain-hit second Test at the Lord’s. According to him the pitch on the second day was a bit damp and the weather was humid which worked in England's favour and Indian batsmen couldn't really perform to the best of their abilities. He also mentioned that on day three, when it was time for England to bat, the wicket had become far better and this was the pitch that they expected in the first place. 

“Nothing happened. That was the problem. As a bowling unit we tried, but all of a sudden the ball stopped swinging. And Woakes and Bairstow took the game away. Any team would have got the same score we got, you know. Playing in that condition, there was a little drizzle, the wicket also got a little wet. Conditions were completely different.When we bowled today, it was the proper wicket. The first day it was different. Today what we got was the actual wicket we expected on the first day. Because of the weather the wicket changed and it was doing a lot.It happens in Tests. You get five wickets or four wickets quickly and then have a partnership. With our batting line-up also we have done it many times. It’s part of the game,” Pandya said. 

The explanation suggested India either stuck to plans drawn up before rain on the first day – the toss was done only on Day 2 – without giving consideration to the conditions, which are crucial playing in England. Or else, it seemed a weak defence of leaving out Umesh Yadav from the playing eleven despite his pace an abilities with the new ball. India picked chinaman bowler, Kuldeep Yadav, rain washing out play on the first day and dampness on the pitch changing its character after the harsh summer had promised a more spin-friendly surface.

“They had some thought behind that. So, three (pacers) was enough, to be honest. We did enough, we bowled properly. Today’s wicket was the wicket which we expected. It was a proper call. Had this been a five-day game, spinners would have come into play.Because of the rain and everything, it shortened (the game) and there were not many footmarks. Had this been a five-day game, it would have been different. Except the first day, we didn’t expect anything else. Only the first day it was something different from what we expected. Today’s wicket was what we expected. That is the only difference.” Pandya concluded.