LONDON: Virat Kohli said India should be ‘better than that’ after an innings and 159-run hammering by England in the second Test at Lord’s on Sunday.

The heaviest defeat of Kohli’s reign as India captain was completed after tea on the fourth day, with his side now 2-0 down in a five-match series.

Yet in a fixture marred by rain — Thursday’s first day was completely washed out — India were effectively defeated inside two standard days’ playing time.

Their batsmen were left helpless as Joe Root’s attack, led by spearhead James Anderson, made the most of the overcast and typically English swing-friendly conditions, with India dismissed for just 107 and 130.

Significantly, India’s two innings were completed in 82.2 overs, while England batted just the once while making 396-7 declared in 88.1 overs.

India, for all they are number one in the Test rankings, have long faced accusations they are ‘lions at home and lambs abroad’.

In the past five years, they have won just one of their six previous Test series outside of Asia — and that was against a struggling West Indies.

Meanwhile this latest reverse meant India had won a mere six of their 59 Tests in England.

There is no doubt modern fixture schedules often conspire against touring teams.

Nevertheless, the Indian cricket board agreed to a programme where Kohli’s men had a solitary red-ball warm-up match against Essex ahead of five Tests in some six weeks.

And on the eve of the Essex fixture, long-agreed as a four-day game, the match was reduced to a three-day game at India’s request.

But regardless of scheduling concerns, Kohli said India had to improve on a Lord’s batting display where number eight Ravichandran Ashwin, primarily an off-spinner, top-scored in both their innings with 29 and 33 not out.

“It’s our job and our duty to play for the country, and we should be better than that,” insisted Kohli. “Unless you accept that, you can’t improve and compete. We have to accept what we did wrong — mistakes have been made — and not repeat them again.”

He added: “Credit has to go to England who were clinical with the bat, ball and in the field. They deserved to win and we deserved to lose.”

Kohli was clearly struggling with a stiff back on Sunday, the injury seeing him bat at number five rather than his usual number four position.

And he received prolonged on-field treatment before he was dismissed by Stuart Broad for 17.

“As of Saturday it was not great,” said Kohli, who scored 200 runs including an innings of 149, his maiden Test century in England, during India’s 31-run defeat in the series-opener at Edgbaston.

But Kohli was optimistic he would be fit for the third Test at Trent Bridge starting on Saturday.

Root, meanwhile, said Anderson was a ‘special commodity’ who should be enjoyed for as long as possible after England’s leading all-time Test wicket-taker showed his class yet again with match figures of 9-43 and became the first bowler to take 100 Test wickets at Lord’s.

“He’s a special, special commodity, isn’t he?,” said Root. “He’s something that doesn’t come along very often and we’ve got to enjoy him while he’s around.

“There’s been chat about his longevity but at the minute he’s bowling better than he ever has before. Time and again, he puts in fantastic performances.”

Yet it was Chris Woakes who was named man-of-the-match after starring with both bat and ball.

Woakes, selected after England omitted Ben Stokes because of his fellow pace-bowling all-rounder’s ongoing trial for affray, made 137 not out — his maiden Test century — and shared a partnership of 189 with Jonny Bairstow (93) that helped the hosts recover from 89-4 to 396-7 declared.

He also took match figures of 4-43, with his haul including the prize scalp of Kohli, his erstwhile team-mate when they both played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, for just 23 in the tourists’ meagre first-innings 107.

It is not yet known whether Stokes will be available to play in the third Test, but Woakes proved himself to be far more than a mere ‘stand-in’.

“Ben is obviously a huge part of this squad, so it’s a miss him not being here this week,” said Root. “But what it did was create an opportunity for Chris to come in and perform — and boy, he didn’t disappoint did he? It’s a great headache to have for us, going into next week.”

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2018