The India vs England Test series has kept fans glued to their televisions since the day it began. Led by Shubman Gill, a young Indian team, missing stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – who retired in May 2025 before the England tour – has shown remarkable grit. Today it’s the last day of the fifth Test, but the result still hangs in the balance. England need 35 runs to win, while India, on the other side, need 3 wickets to win and level the series.
England’s Dominance Continues
The experienced England side under the captaincy of Ben Stokes have already won two Tests at Leeds and Lord’s, leading the series by 2-1. India found themselves under extreme pressure after they lost the Test match at Lord’s just by 22 runs, following which the team managed to draw the fourth Test at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester.
India’s Struggle In England Tour
India’s journey in the five-match Test series has been full of obstacles, raising a lot of questions on Gautam Gambhir’s strategy. But one of the issues that has been in spotlight since the very start is India’s bowling attack. Now former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has highlighted India’s struggle in bowling and how the team has failed to build pressure on the home side.
Ravichandran Ashwin Highlights India’s Loophole
“India have failed in one place. On this pitch, this is a big score (target of 374). India find themselves in this hole because, pressure-building bowling is a lost art. Barring Australia, every team is struggling on that front. It’s called defensive pressure building. In the T20 era where the motto is to go for wickets, how to build rhythm to get those wickets is key,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“We Haven’t Been The Sharpest”
“Coming back to the topic of spinners not being used, I have felt in this series that there has been a lack of game awareness and in many ways, our tactical acumen both on and off the field. This is the main reason why England are ahead in this series and India are behind. We haven’t been the sharpest,” said Ashwin
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Shubman Gill “Will Learn”
“I feel Shubman Gill will get really better as the captain. He will learn. But sometimes if you feel that you can play spin really well, you will not bring spinners into the attack, and when you miss the moment to bring the spinners in these conditions, then the spinner becomes a really defensive option,” he added.
“Making these mistakes is a huge gap. We don’t know whether the message is going from outside to the middle. We don’t know the dressing room talks. But in today’s day and age, these mistakes can definitely be avoided,” he added.
