Difficult for England to make comeback: Strauss

TIL Desk Sports/ Former England skipper Andrew Strauss feels the manner in which Joe Root’s team capitulated against a fired-up India in the second Test could hurt the “bruised and battered” hosts in the remainder of the five-match series. From a seemingly comfortable position, England fell to a 151-run defeat on the final day at the Lord’s.

“They were favourites but let things slip before lunch (on final day) and then had another top-order collapse,” Strauss told. “Those early wickets put huge pressure on the middle order and India just had enough overs to bowl them out. It was feisty.” He said India “thoroughly deserve” to go one up in the five-match series.

“Every series with India, and particularly (Virat) Kohli, is feisty and as the match was on the line you expected nothing else. It has been five brilliant days of Test cricket. “India were exceptional and there were times when England looked like they were going to get out of jail but, in the end, you have to say that India deserved it, they did enough to win. England are going to be absolutely battered and bruised as a result of that,” he added.