<p>The great Geoff Boycott said that one of the key factors in England’s crushing loss to India in the most recent Test series was the batsmen’s inability to neutralize left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav.</p>
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<p>England won the first two games of the five-match series in Hyderabad, but things got worse from there as they lost the rubber 1-4 and Kuldeep finished with 19 wickets from four games.</p>
<p>“I was astounded at how many of them remained in the same position at the conclusion of the series, unable to read the wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav. When you first confront a bowler, he or she may seem mysterious to you.</p>
<p>“But, batters should be able to figure him out at the international level. Boycott said in his column in The Telegraph that “too many never looked comfortable against him and were reduced to staying back and trying to play him off the pitch.”</p>
<p>Boycott also took issue with England’s batsmen’ blatantly aggressive style of play throughout the series.</p>
<p>“The English hitters turned to attacking because they lacked confidence in their abilities to defend, particularly with fielders positioned near the bat. That’s a dangerous proposition for excellent spinners,” he said.</p>
<p>With 8114 runs in Test cricket, the former England opener commented, “That is why we saw some daft dismissals like Ollie Pope running down the pitch to be stumped by yards and Ben Duckett running down the pitch to Ashwin to be bowled off an underside edge.”</p>
<p>Boycott then emphasized how crucial a solid defense is for batters.</p>
<p>“Our batsmen have had a great time on flat batting pitches at home and in Pakistan and New Zealand.” Pitching has been a little different in India. Batting involves having a strong defense as well.</p>
<p>“That doesn’t mean you have to bat defensively but it is usually wise to play yourself in, get used to the pitch and the bowling before you try to stamp your authority on the game,” he said.</p>
<p>Young England spinners Tom Hartley (22) and Shoaib Bashir (17) claimed wickets, but Boycott believed they were too inexperienced to have a significant influence against a team of India’s caliber.</p>
<p>“Choosing to use three inexperienced spinners was a major risk. It was impossible for inexperienced children to outbowl seasoned Indian spinners in India. KL Rahul only played one Test, and England were fortunate that Virat Kohli missed the whole series,” he added.</p>
