McCullum Calls Toss 'Fair But Costly', Hints at England Shake-Up Post Defeat

England Coach Brendon McCullum hints at a playing XI shake-up after Gill and his men stamped a dominant victory in Birmingham.

India has leveled the series 1-1 grandly in Birmingham, defeating England by 336 runs. Shubman Gill’s 269 and 163 in both innings led the Indian batting as they dominated right from the start. Further, England was outclassed by superb pace bowling led by Mohammed Siraj, who claimed a five-for in the first innings, helping India take a massive lead. In the second innings, Akash Deep claimed his maiden five-for, sealing India’s emphatic win.

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McCullum Reflects on Toss Misstep After India Levels Series in Style

England head coach Brendon McCullum addressed the press after the match and admitted the toss decision was a blunder, putting India in to bat first.

“As the game unfolded, we probably looked back on that toss and said, 'Did we miss an opportunity there?' and it's probably fair. We didn't expect the wicket would play quite as it did, and hence we probably got it slightly wrong. It was only a brilliant partnership from Jamie Smith and Harry Brook that gave us any balance in the game throughout the five days," McCullum told the Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, the head coach praised Jamie Smith’s effort throughout the Test and highlighted the Brook–Smith partnership in the first innings, which briefly held the Indian bowling at bay.

"That's something we've got to look at. We're not rigid with our plans. It’s just that we thought this pitch might get better to bat on as we went through the five days, but as we saw, it didn't," McCullum added.

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McCullum Praises India’s Adaptability and Gill’s Brilliance

Brendon McCullum congratulated India on their emphatic victory, acknowledging how well they adapted to the surface.

"We ran second for five days. I thought India played exceptionally well. Shubman Gill was at an elite level and played brilliantly on this pitch. We weren't quite able to play how we wanted to on it, and they thoroughly deserved to win," he concluded.

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