5 poor decisions that cost India the series against England

#5 Inexplicable bowling partnerships at Kennington Oval

Hanuma Vihari was bowled only for 9.3 overs

The fifth match had turned out to be a dead rubber, with the fate of the series already decided. However, coach Ravi Shastri had promised that they would 'not throw into the towel'. The bowlers seem to have embodied the spirit, as they reduced England to 198/7 at the the end of the first day, picking up six wickets in the last session. However, it was the tail that again haunted India, as Jos Buttler and Stuart Broad put up a 98-run stand for the 9th wicket. The field also turned out to be defensive once Buttler got into his act, allowing the batsmen to pick up easy singles.

In the third innings, Virat Kohli made some strange bowling changes, bowling Ishant Sharma for only eight overs, while giving the other two pacers more than 20 overs apiece. It seemed liked he wanted to spin a web around the English batsmen, as he bowled Jadeja for a marathon 47 overs. Ironically, the other spinner, Hanuma Vihari, only bowled 9.3 overs, and impressed with three wickets, including those of centurions Cook and Root. The English batsmen were absolutely untroubled by the bowling changes and field settings, as they feasted on the Indian bowlers to amass 423 runs on the board.