India vs England 2020-21: 5 reasons why the visitor lost 2nd Test

Visitor England was off to a flying start in the Anthony de Melo Trophy, as it convincingly won the opening Test against host India in Chennai. However, as for the second Test at the same venue, England faced a reality check, after India spun it away.

Things would now move to Ahmedabad, as the race for the final spot in the ICC World Test Championship would intensify now. However, England has a lot of homework to do, as we analyse why the visitor did not repeat the heroics from the opening game.

Why disturb a winning combination?
The first thing that I would like to point out is the playing XI and combination. England had well found the rhythm with the perfect combination in the opening game itself. Although it was understandable to rest veteran seamer James Anderson, making four changes at once, right after winning a Test, is baffling to me. While Archer missed out due to the injury, what about Jos Buttler and Dominic Bess? Furthermore, with the pitch expected to be rank turner, sitting out Bess barely made any sense. Although Moeen Ali did well to fit in, disturbing the team's entire cadence is highly unjustified.

Is England over-reliant on Anderson?
Drooling further on England's bowling, the pacers barely managed to get any success, including veteran Stuart Broad. While Anderson's exclusion did raise eyebrows, it is now somewhat evident that the side does rely heavily on his swinging abilities in the pace department. England needs to stop this over-reliance and find an alternative soon, as Anderson does not have a long career left, especially at 38.

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Broad needs to prove himself on Asian tracks
Speaking about Broad, he is one of England's most successful pacer in Test cricket. Although most of his success has come at home, he has been decent outside Europe. Nonetheless, he has persistently struggled in Asia. Even in Sri Lanka, before coming to India, he played just a game and managed to claim only three wickets. While he averages 25.54 in Europe, the same dwindles to 37.72 in Asia. Having claimed more than 500 Test wicket, Broad has to justify his selection in the format, in Asia, or he should just sit out.

Joe Root has to justify the tag of big four
Root is undoubtedly one of the finest batsmen in world cricket currently, across formats, alongside Virat Kohli, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson. While he generally performs anywhere globally, he has a problem playing on spinning tracks, especially in Asia. Although his average in Asia (56.50) is better than that in Europe (50.55), his struggle against quick spin has troubled him. Furthermore, as England somewhat relies on him in the batting department, he has no choice but to develop a killer performance.

England has tremendous top-order batting issue to resolve
Continuing with England's batting, it is its top-order, which has been highly vulnerable of late. Although Rory Burns and Dominic Sibley are talented, they have just not clicked of late, which is indeed a matter of worry for England. Furthermore, the over-reliance on Root is making things difficult for it and Root himself. Will having Zak Crawley or Jonny Bairstow change something in the third? We will have to wait and see.

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