India coach Duncan Fletcher had the task of defending his batsmen's fifth straight failure to cross 300 in an innings in England. He put it down to the conditions. “I have never played on three wickets [as in the first three Test matches of this series] where the ball has moved around so much, even when I was with England [as head coach],” said Fletcher.
“Well, from my point of view, they have found it very difficult to handle the swing bowling at the moment, the swing, and the seam. And, I have seen other sides struggle in those situations.”
Difficult to adjust
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Fletcher said India's batsmen had done everything asked of them in preparation in the limited time they had in England.
While he didn't comment on whether India would have profited from a longer lead-up to the Tests, he said batsmen from the subcontinent found it difficult to adjust to conditions they weren't used to.
“How can we go out there and practice against swing bowling in India when there is no swing bowling there?” he asked. Tim Bresnan, who claimed four wickets on the first day of the third Test, said the consistency of England's bowlers was vital in controlling a dangerous batting attack.
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“Yeah, it swung a bit, but not like at Trent Bridge. So it was basically building pressure and just hanging in your areas,” said Bresnan.