England vs India 2018: Five reasons why India lost the first Test

No support for Virat Kohli, the batsman in the first innings

England v India: Specsavers 1st Test - Day Two

India managed to score 274 runs in the first innings and conceded a 13-run lead to the hosts. Out of the 274 scored by the visitors, as many as 149 came off the bat of skipper Virat Kohli. While Kohli was leaving the ball well outside the off-stump and was cautious in his approach, his teammates were impatient and threw their wickets away.

KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik and Murali Vijay, every single batsman in the top-6 failed to show some resistance and be at the crease with the skipper. Hardik Pandya, batting at number 7, applied himself and showed more resistance than any of the other front-line batsmen in the first innings.

Had Kohli got a couple of 50-run stands with two of these batsmen, it would have been a different story in the match as it would have given India the pole position in the Test. None of the top-5 batsmen barring Kohli managed to score more than 30 even once in the Test.

Even the experienced batsmen like Murali Vijay, who leaves the ball so well, Rahane, Dhawan and Rahul were caught poking the ball on numerous occasions and got out to rash shots.