England defeated India by 31 runs in the first Test of the five-match series at Edgbaston and took a 1-0 lead in the series.

Despite the spirited efforts of Indian captain Virat Kohli with the bat in both innings (149 & 51); other batsmen of Indian team failed to support him. Former cricketers had varied opinions about this enthralling Test match.

While the likes of Mike Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Ian Chappell and Michael Vaughan were unanimous in their praise of Indian captain Virat Kohli the batsman, Hussain, a former England captain himself, felt that his captaincy could have been better.

Hussain told Sky Sports, “Kohli was phenomenal in this game. He deserved to be on the winning side for the way he played with the tail. He single-handedly brought India back into the Test match. I do think he should take some of the responsibility for the loss, though.”

“England were 87/7 with Curran and Adil Rashid at the crease and for some reason, Ravichandran Ashwin went out of the game for an hour. India lost control then – he needs to look back on his captaincy and say, ‘when I’ve got a bloke who averages 19 against left-handers and a 20-year-old left-hander on strike, why did I take him off?’,” he said.

Michael Vaughan, who masterminded the famous 2005 Test win over Australia at the same venue, was all praises for Joe Root and his leadership. He tweeted, “He might be a pal but I am not bias in saying @root66 Captaincy this morning was fantastic … Tactics and mindset spot on … "

Mike Atherton wrote in his column for The Sunday Times after the end of day two that, “It was impossible to understand why Test cricket should be facing an existential crisis.”

Ian Chappell summed up his view on the match in his column for ESPN, writing, “Most of the ingredients that showcase Test cricket in its best light are on display in the UK: the pitches provide some encouragement for the bowlers and the ball swings on a pretty regular basis. If what was on show at Edgbaston has difficulty filling seats, then Test cricket really is in deep trouble.”

Chappell compared the battle between Anderson and Kohli to the one Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar had in Chennai in 1998. Chappell said, “Throughout that battle for supremacy, Anderson maintained a high standard of outswing bowling that not only consistently challenged Kohli but also saw him dropped in the slips. With the game delicately poised and the high skill level of the two contestants involved, it was reminiscent of that wonderful battle between Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar at Chepauk in 1998.”

(with inputs from news18.com/cricketnext)