The Telegraph Cricket Podcast · The Telegraph

Can England still win in India?

·59 min·3 clips

England lost by 434 runs after saying they never intended to bat the whole day on day three.

The episode opens with a hard cricket question rather than a comforting one. England's chances are treated as something that has to be argued through, not assumed. The panel says there is enough energy to like this side, but energy is not the same thing as getting the details right. They keep coming back to the way England talk about chasing huge totals. That confidence is shown as both a strength and a liability. It can sound sharp when the team is winning. It sounds a lot shakier after a heavy defeat. The discussion uses the size of the loss to set the tone. India's huge margin of victory is not treated like a blip. It is used as proof that something in England's approach needs a check. The speakers stress that Test cricket demands a better feel for its swings. They also suggest England have not always shown enough of that feel. There is a dry edge to the way the panel handles the more exuberant lines from the camp. The point is not that confidence is wrong. The point is that confidence without any self-critique starts to look careless. That idea sits against the noise of social media and public expectation. The panel accepts the appeal of England's energy. They also note that the same energy can start to wear thin if results do not match the talk. The conversation keeps circling back to the dressing room. It asks what needs to be said privately when the public line stays upbeat. The episode does not pretend there is a neat answer. It lands on the idea that England have to be a bit more honest with themselves. That is what gives the discussion its shape and its tension.

As heard by us

A hard look at England after a huge defeat in India, with confidence framed as useful only if it does not drift into overreach.

The piece takes a hard look at England after a heavy defeat in India, and it stays useful because it keeps to the practical questions that matter in Test cricket.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

If you want a sober post-loss England cricket discussion, start here.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The Telegraph Cricket Podcast