Controlled aggression helped us make a comeback in Leeds Test: Chris Silverwood

England head coach Chris Silverwood said that “controlled aggression” helped the hosts make a comeback in the Leeds Test against India after the humiliating defeat at the Lord’s. From being 0-1 in the five-match series, the Brits won at Headingley by an innings and 76 runs to draw level in the series.

The Lord’s Test was a shambolic affair for the Three Lions, who were bowled out in their second innings in less than two sessions on day five. However, in Leeds, the Brits wrapped things up in just over three days after initially bowling India out for 78 in the first innings.

Silverwood said that the English bowlers hit the right channels in the third Test, thereby exerting pressure on the Indian tail-end batters. After the Lord’s defeat, Silverwood and skipper Joe Root went back to the drawing board to find the chinks in their armour and their hard work paid off.

Chris Silverwood opines

“Joe and I reflected on the Lord’s Test and thought about what we could learn and how we could get better. And I think there was controlled aggression around what they did (at Headingley),” Silverwood told in a virtual media interaction.

“The way they hit the lengths hard, the way they put the India tail under pressure and forced them to make decisions all the time. I think you can be aggressive in a very controlled way and I think they got that right,” he stated.

Silverwood mentioned that one can’t allow India to take the upper hand since they are one of the top teams in world cricket. “The key is to get on top of them because we know they are a very good team. Once they get on top it’s difficult to stop them.

“We put them on the backfoot and we kept the pressure on, so you know, it shows what we can do. The guys executed the game plan very well. It shows once you put people on the back foot, the pressure gets and we can get into them,” Silverwood added.

The fourth and penultimate Test of the series is scheduled to get underway on Thursday, September 2 at the Kennington Oval in London. The Old Trafford in Manchester will host the fifth and final Test from Friday, September 10.