Boycott blasts England's bowling line-up after series defeat to India; says lucky Virat Kohli didn't play
Cricket legend Geoffrey Boycott voices disappointment over England's bowling performance in the Test series against India, attributing their 1-4 defeat to an inexperienced lineup.
FollowGeoffrey Boycott, the cricket legend, did not hold back in expressing his disappointment with England's bowling resources during the five-match Test series against India. Despite an initial advantage with a victory in Hyderabad, England succumbed to a 1-4 series defeat, missing the opportunity to capitalise on India's absent batting heavyweights. Boycott highlighted the inexperience in England's bowling attack, particularly pointing out the debuts of Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir on the Indian tour.
Boycott didn't mince words, stating, "It wouldn’t frighten anyone." He criticised the bowling lineup, including Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir, emphasising their limited first-class experience as spinners. Mark Wood's ineffectual pace bowling, James Anderson's sparing usage due to his career's twilight, and Ben Stokes' delayed bowling due to fitness concerns all contributed to England's dismal 4-1 series loss.
The top five wicket-takers list was dominated by Indians, with only Tom Hartley representing England. Hartley emerged as England's leading wicket-taker with 22 dismissals in five matches.
Boycott acknowledged England's stroke of luck in the absence of key Indian players Virat Kohli and KL Rahul (after the first Test). However, he pointed out that despite this advantage, England failed to secure a victory. In his column for the Telegraph, Boycott remarked, "Inexperienced kids were never going to outbowl experienced Indian spinners in India. England were lucky that Virat Kohli was unavailable for the entire series, and KL Rahul only played one Test."
With this series loss, England now occupies the eighth position in the World Test Championship points table, having won just three out of their ten Tests.
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