ENG vs IND: ‘We were inconsistent’ - Head Coach Rahul Dravid

There was no miracle from the Indian bowlers on the final day at Edgbaston as Englandrsquos overnight pair Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow batted relentlessly and just did not give the Indians a semblance of a chance of making a comeback in the game in which the visitors had held the upper hand on three daysIndiarsquos poor batting and bowling on the fourth and the fifth days virtually handed over the game to EnglandAs England were still 119 runs adrift of a win on the final morning there were many who expected India to pluck a couple of early wickets and at least make a fight of it if not win the game But the placid pitch giving no help to the bowlers the home team authoritatively raced away to the target in the first session itselfDouble troubleBoth Root and Bairstow went on to complete their centuries and their huge unbeaten doublecentury partnership of 269 saw England record their biggest chase of 378 in Test history and with it level the fivematch Test series two games apiece With this the home team has retained the Pataudi Trophy having won the last Test series here in 2018Bairstow remained unbeaten on 114 for his second hundred of the match and his sixth this year continuing a purple patch that has redefined his career while Rootrsquos unbeaten 142 was a masterclass that took him to his 28 Test centuryThe type of cricket the two displayed on the final day is why England are emerging as a new force in Test cricket under a new dispensationmdashfearless captaincy of Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullumAfter chasing targets of 277 296 299 against New Zealand in the last series and now 378 with a flourish Englandrsquos fortunes have turned a full circle from last year when the fivematch series against India was suspended due to Covidfears in the Indian camp with the latter leading 21 It was supposed to be a historic 31 series win for India their best ever since 20 in 1986 But it was an anticlimax of sorts as India failed to drive home the advantage in the rescheduled fifth and final TestHead coach Rahul Dravid in the postmatch media interaction conceded that India were not consistent enough and their inconsistent batting and ineffective bowling in the second innings were the reason for the defeat ldquoOf course from each defeat we have lessons to learn In the last overseas tour of South Africa and now in England we have not been consistent over the five days The batting and bowling in the latter part of the Test match were not up to the mark and hence this defeatrdquo said DravidThe 2007 Pataudi Trophywinning captain didnrsquot believe the absence of spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was also the cause of defeat ldquoIn hindsight you can say many things But the fact remains seeing the grass cover on the pitch on the opening day and the lack of spin and bounce later in the game Ashrsquos presence would not have made much of a difference to the outcomerdquo he saidAlso Read ENG vs IND Indian fans suffer racial abuse at EdgbastonlsquoThey were fluentrsquoDravid was magnanimous in conceding that England played better cricket and had special praise for Root and Bairstow especially the manner in which they batted on the fourth and fifth days ldquoThere is no doubt England played good cricket and the fluent manner in which Root and Bairstow batted in the last innings was really amazing Their brilliant partnership sealed the match for themrdquo Dravid saidIndia have hardly any time for postdefeat introspection as they will be travelling to Southampton today for the first T20I game on July 7 Thereafter India will play three ODIs23No of wickets Jasprit Bumrah took in the series to set a new record for the most wickets taken by an Indian bowler in England