England Batsmen Have To Find A Way To Learn From These Mistakes And Become Better: Ian Bell

Former England batsman Ian Bell has reacted to England’s chastening 3-1 defeat to India in the four-match Test series. England crumbled on day three of the fourth Test in Ahmedabad by an innings and 25-run loss to concede the rubber even after winning the first match convincingly. Ian Bell stated that the batsmen have to get back on their feet as quickly as possible as the home summer approaches.

England’s batsmen started the tour well by amassing 578 in the first innings of the first Test and winning the same by 227 runs. But they stumbled in the following matches, especially to spin-bowling as they hardly got even to four days. Joe Root, who hammered a double hundred in the opening game, could not continue his touch, neither could Ben Stokes. At times, England’s spinners also proved ineffective against the home side’s batsmen. Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel shared more than 50 wickets between them while Jack Leach was the only England spinner who impressed.

Ian Bell refused to be overcritical of England’s players as there are certain young and talented players who have faced challenging conditions from the outset. Nevertheless, Bell stated that they have to learn from these mistakes and become better. The Warwickshire former cricketer believes that the batting unit would be crucial in the upcoming summer as there are two Tests against New Zealand followed by another crucial series against India.

“I’m assuming England camp would be talking about not panicking. There are some talented young players. They have been exposed to this tour, in these conditions, and I won’t be over critical of them. I know how hard it is. What they have got to find a way now is learning from these mistakes, learning from these experiences to become better. So, I think the importance of this summer for English cricket, certainly this batting unit is going to be massively crucial. They have got two Test matches against New Zealand – they are really really important for the batting unit and the India series again,” Bell told ESPN Cricinfo.

These players are going to have to face the same attack: Ian Bell

Ian Bell further reminded that when India go to England for a return series, they will likely face the same bowling attack and the same questions on different surfaces. The 38-year old feels that the English batsmen must utilize their domestic fixtures to get back to the run-scoring spree, learn from these experiences, and bounce back stronger.

“When you are playing Test match cricket and against the same team, individual battles are going all the time. So, these players are going to have to face the same attack, yes on different surfaces but the same questions will be asked the next summer. Hence, it’s really important to get back to form. Some of them are one-format players, so the importance of going back domestically, they are probably going to get five or six championship games in first-class cricket. Hence, you go back, learn from what they have done, and quickly get back to scoring runs,” he added.

Also Read: I Got Wickets In The First Game And Kept On Carrying The Confidence: Axar Patel