England might have been outplayed on all five days of the second Test, but with Jasprit Bumrah to return for the third game at Lord's, head coach Brendon McCullum insisted on the need for strategic planning before the crunch match.
Bumrah, who was not part of the second Test, watched India's comprehensive 336-run win from the sidelines as the visitors drew the five-match series 1-1 and won their first-ever Test in Edgbaston.
India skipper Shubman Gill confirmed after the victory that Bumrah, who is expected to participate in just three of the five Tests, would return for the third clash at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground. “Bumrah will more than likely come back in for the next one so we’ve just got to make sure we’re well planned and well prepared and ready for the next challenge,” McCullum told ESPNCricinfo.
He commented, "It will be very different I suppose to this surface and that is maybe a good thing for us.
Looking back at the result, McCullum admitted that his team was second-best for the whole duration of the match. "We were second for five days. I thought India played exceptionally well. Shubman Gill was an elite level player and played magnificently on this pitch. We weren't quite able to play how we wanted to on it and they fully deserved to win," he said.
Former New Zealand skipper admitted that England's move to bowl first following their toss win could have been a mistake. He acknowledged the pitch did not act as expected.
"I suppose, as the match went on, we perhaps looked back at that toss and said did we miss a trick there and it's probably reasonable," said McCullum.
"We didn't anticipate the wicket to play as it did and therefore we possibly got it a bit wrong," he said. He also added that despite England having India at 200 for five, they could not capitalise on the advantage. "When you win the toss and bowl you're hoping to, well you're not expecting the opposition's going to get 580 and then from that position we're behind the game."
McCullum reaffirmed that their strategy isn't fixed, but they had expected the surface to get better for batting during the course of the match — which didn't materialize. "We're not strict with our plans. It's just we thought this pitch would get better to bat on as we worked through the five days but as we saw it didn't."
Like England captain Ben Stokes, McCullum was also lavish in his praise for India bowler Akash Deep, who took his first five-wicket haul, ending with stunning figures of 6 for 99 to assist in India's comprehensive victory.
I felt Akash Deep bowled well on that pitch. Clearly being brought up playing on those kinds of wickets, he found his length and was capable of making the most of the surface where he could. He was brilliant," McCullum added.
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