NEW DELHI: Former England cricketer Michael Atherton believes it's challenging to be overly "critical" of the Three Lions' performance against India after their Test series defeat in Ranchi.
England had moments of strength during the Test match, with notable contributions from Joe Root and young spinners Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley.
In the challenging chase of 192 runs, India's Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel's unbeaten 72-run partnership ultimately guided them across the finishing line.
"I don't feel too strongly about being too critical of England. It's a difficult place to come and win, obviously, with nobody able to do so since 2012/13," Atherton said on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast.
Atherton further remarked that the series remained competitive right from the opening match, but in the end, India proved to be superior in their home conditions.
"When we were talking about the series before a ball was sent down then I don't think we expected England to win here, given the relative strength of the spin attack. I feel that it has been a competitive series. I feel like India know they've been in the tussle, but in the end they were just too good in home conditions," Atherton added.
England began the series with a commanding 28-run victory in Hyderabad. However, in the subsequent three games, they showcased moments of excellence but struggled to capitalize on those opportunities.
In the fourth Test, Joe Root's 122* put England in a strong position. However, in the second innings, Ravichandran Ashwin spun the team with his five-wicket haul and restricted England on 145.
"I thought this was a particularly good effort from India to win the Test. They lost the toss, they were behind on first innings, but they pulled it around. It could conceivably be 4-0 to India because they will feel they should have won that first game in Hyderabad and probably ought to have done," Atherton said.
"You could also say it could be 2-2 as well because England did win in Hyderabad and threw away a strong position here. Even at Rajkot, I know they ended up losing by a massive margin, but that day three was a similar day three here. I felt that the cricket has been competitive and India know they've been in a tussle," Atherton added.
England will face India in the final match of the series on March 7 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamshala.
(With inputs from ANI)The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the ...
Read MoreThe TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide.
From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our live coverage extends to all mega sporting events. We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more.
The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics.
We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters. We keep track of all viral stories, trending topics and produce our own copies on the subjects.
We deliver accurate, engaging, and up-to-the-minute sports content, round the clock.
Read Less