England’s former captain, Michael Vaughan, has praised England’s brilliant victory over India in the first Test of the five-match series, calling it the best England Test match victory of his life. The visitors outperformed the host team in Hyderabad on Sunday.
The Men In Blue lost the Test by 28 runs after rookie Tom Hartley took 7-62 in the second innings. At one point, the hosts were 42-0 before bowing out for 202 runs in 2nd innings. It was astonishing that the hosts maintained a 190-run first-innings lead, posting 436 runs in response to England’s 246 runs. The victory gave the visiting team a 1-0 advantage in the five-match Test series.
In his column for The Telegraph, Michael Vaughan feels that England’s team beating the high-quality Indian side in Hyderabad was the finest match of his lifetime. He stated that it was one of the sensational away wins of the England side on the away soil and lauded the English side for taking their game to the next level on the surface that offered more turns from Day 1
“Beating this India team away is simply the finest England Test match victory of my lifetime. There have been some sensational England away wins over the years. But what England have just done in Hyderabad tops them all: it’s number one for me”.
“No one does that to India in their backyard. Look at what England have overcome. India are one of the finest Test teams ever at home. The wicket had a real turn. And England had a first-innings deficit of 190 runs.
“India have never lost a Test at home when conceding such a big lead – it’s really incredible what England have achieved. It is the best win full stop – at home or away – in all the time I have been involved in English cricket,” Michael Vaughan said.
England’s Bazball concept has tasted enormous success on the field under Ben Stokes’ captaincy and Brendon McCullum’s coaching. England’s team think-tank has instilled pride in their rigorous style of play. It’s a style that has gained them fans and matches – they have 14 triumphs in their previous 19 Tests – and they will look to Hyderabad as additional proof of the truth of their tactics.
I Thought Rohit Sharma’s Captaincy Was Very, Very Average – Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan criticized Indian skipper Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, stating that it was very average. He said that Sharma was too reactive on the field rather than being proactive against the quality England side. Vaughan also pointed out that the Indian captain had no answer to the masterclass of Ollie Pope in the second innings.
“In India’s first-Test defeat in Hyderabad, I thought Rohit Sharma’s captaincy was very, very average. I thought he was so reactive, I don’t think he manoeuvred his field or was proactive with his bowling changes. And he didn’t have any answer to Ollie Pope’s sweeps or reverse sweeps,” Michael Vaughan added.
England’s 28-run win will be remembered as a shining example of the success of ‘Bazball’, particularly after Ollie Pope swept and reverse-swept to a massive 196 in the third innings. The Ben Stokes-led side would be keen on continuing their fine run in Indian soil to win a series after 12 long years.
