India Faces Historic Test Defeat Against England Amid Batting Woes

India's Struggles in the Test Series

India's performance in the Test series against England at Headingley has been disappointing. Although the overall score may seem substantial, the situation appears dire after the fifth or sixth wicket falls. The top order has been primarily responsible for the majority of runs, while the middle and lower order have struggled significantly. Dinesh Karthik, who is currently providing commentary in England, humorously compared India's batting to a Doberman dog.

This remark came before the start of day five when Mike Atherton inquired about what had been amusing Karthik. He candidly mentioned a meme circulating online that humorously depicted the dire state of the Indian batting lineup. Karthik stated,

"I just saw on Twitter that someone said Indian batting is like a Doberman dog. The head is good, the middle is okay, but there’s no tail at all."

Watch the video here:

That's one way to describe the India batting line-up, DK 🤣👇 pic.twitter.com/iqEL1Dw1eh

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 24, 2025

Historic Defeat for India

India has set several unwanted records during this series. With at least seven dropped catches, they faced defeat despite having five centuries, a first in 148 years of Test cricket history.

In the first innings, India showcased impressive performances with centuries from Jaiswal (101), Gill (147), and Pant (134). However, they squandered their advantage due to a familiar collapse in the lower order, finishing at 471 after being 430 for 3, losing seven wickets for just 41 runs. A similar pattern emerged in the second innings, where they lost seven wickets for 77 runs.

Chasing a target of 371, England, led by Ben Duckett’s 149 and Zak Crawley’s 65, successfully reached their target with five wickets remaining. India's bowling attack lacked effectiveness in the final innings, with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj failing to take any wickets, highlighting the team's struggles to close out matches.