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Leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal felt that unlike England’s innings, when there wasn't much assistance for the slow bowlers, the Lord's track helped home team spinners Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali as India lost the second ODI by a comprehensive margin of 86 runs.
The hosts scored 322 for 7 after Joe Root scored his 12th ODI hundred after recovering from 239-6 at one stage. In reply, India were all-out for 236 in 50 overs.
“I think, as a team, we conceded 20-25 runs too many at the death. But the credit should go to (David) Willey and (Joe) Root too because they batted so well in the end. It was a different, slow pitch. If you bowled slow, the batsmen were able to play it easily. When we bowled, there wasn't as much turn as there was in the second innings,” Chahal said at the post-match press conference.
While Kuldeep Yadav (3/68) provided the breakthroughs, Chahal bowled a tight seven-over spell before the 40th over before Willey-Root broke free.
“When I bowled a couple of overs, I found it to be a bit slow. So I decided to vary my pace on it and keep bowling full because it is a slow wicket, there are more chances of going for runs with short-pitched bowling. So I wanted to keep it wicket-to-wicket, because if the batsman misses, I have chances of taking wickets,” he said, explaining his strategy.
However, the day belonged to English spinners Moeen and Rashid, who shared three wickets for 80 runs in 20 overs between them. Chahal said Virat Kohli's dismissal was the turning point.
“I think the turning point was the wicket of Virat Kohli because a good partnership was going on. When you chase 322, you need wickets in the end. I also think their spinners bowled well.
"The way Moeen started, the boundaries weren't coming. We could only get one or two runs and the asking rate was climbing, so there was pressure on the batsmen. You can say their spinners bowled well in the middle overs.”