Veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batter and commentator Dinesh Karthik pointed out that Team India lacked positive body language, attributing the 'fear of failure' as the reason for their 28-run loss against England in the first Test in Hyderabad.
In a thrilling match, England defeated the hosts, India, by 28 runs on the fourth day of the Hyderabad Test to take a 1-0 lead in the ongoing five-match Test series. England's vice-captain Ollie Pope and debutant Tom Hartley played key roles in their memorable win over the hosts.
After the first Test, Karthik highlighted that the fear of failure is deeply rooted in the Indian cricket team, but this is not the case for England, and that’s why they dominated the hosts in Hyderabad.
Dinesh Karthik was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz, “Today, for me, was a very revealing day as to how cultures differ. As we were growing up being Indians, somewhere, the fear of failure is ingrained in us. I genuinely wish all the fans understand why sometimes it can be hard for (Indian) top-order batters to be free in their minds to play shots that they want to play. They want to as well, but the fear of failure just pulls them back a little bit.”
He further mentioned that India appeared tired and displayed a lack of positive body language against England. The commentator noted, “A lot of India who watched this Test match got the impression that at the end of Day 3, they were tired and lacked body language.”
Karthik signed off by saying, “Somewhere, they had been outplayed at different points in time, but India did not have answers to a lot of the questions that England have asked. The intensity which is required sometimes to push on those tough days, yesterday (Day 3) because of what England came up with, I think India did not have answers. The after-effect of that is what we are seeing today.”
