In the end a Test match that promised so much finished in a heart-breaking loss for the Indians. The 31-run loss at the hands of England at Edgbaston would surely test the resolve of Virat Kohli and Co. The fact that it's a five-match series gives the Indians ample time to come back and show how good they are. But still the fact that they let England off the hook after the hosts themselves had allowed the Indians a way back into the contest after some poor fielding will rankle Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri.

Kohli batted like a champion as he single-handedly kept India in the game. But the rest of the top order batsmen let him down and Team India came short in a chase of 194 inside the morning session on the fourth day. Also just like Sachin Tendulkar in the 90s, Kohli could not see his side through when the pressure was really on in the fourth innings.

Just like the South Africa series earlier this year, Team India failed to close out the game or they failed to seize the big moments. Great teams know when to go for the jugular, but when a young Sam Curran, playing only his second Test, counter-attacked, the Indian attack led by pacer Ishant Sharma and offie R Ashwin suddenly lost their way. Curran's quickfire 63 took the hosts to 193 on a track which was offering fair bit of assistance and the English seamers did their job.

Team combination

Losing such closely-fought games can have a demoralising effect on the team and it remains to be seen how the Indians pick themselves up. Though Kohli's batting was brilliant, his captaincy left a lot to be desired. India's gamble of playing only five batsmen has backfired big time both in South Africa and at Edgbaston. On alien conditions, the team needs the cushion of six batsmen or else the all-rounders have to do the job. But neither Ashwin nor Hardik Pandya have done the job with the bat so far on demanding tracks. The decision to leave out Cheteshwar Pujara and play K L Rahul at the crucial No. 3 slot too did not pay off.

Kohli is known for making changes and come Thursday, there would more surprises as the second Test begins at Lord's. Joe Root and his men know that they got out of the jail at Edgbaston and they would be ready for the Indians. The remaining four Tests would determine whether the Indians would live up to their No. 1 ranking or it would be another tour of missed chances.

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