We got totally outplayed today: Trevor Bayliss

The Indian team thoroughly dominated the proceedings on day 4 of the final Test. England’s coach Trevor Bayliss could not agree any more to this fact. England had a glimmer of hope this morning to ensure a draw in the match. Now, they stand in a position from where they will have to bat their skins out to save the Test. A defeat would mean a 4-0 series defeat.

The scoreline would pretty much sum up the fortunes of the team on the tour. Riding on Karun Nair’s masterclass of unbeaten 303, India posted a mammoth 759 on the board. Almost 400 runs were scored on day 4. Trevor Bayliss rued the fact that the fielding has let them down. Nair was dropped on 34 by Alastair Cook last day. Also, he mentioned that England were never in the game today.

“It’s never easy when it happens. You’ve got to give credit to the Indian batters, who played extremely well. We just weren’t in the game today. At times, we struggled to bowl to the fields that the captain had set. That just makes it very difficult. Our catching is still below par – I think the last three catches we’ve dropped have only cost us 500!” remarked Trevor Bayliss. He further added that the team does not boast of any natural athletes. Hence, there is a serious need to improve on the fielding.

“We’re a team that probably haven’t got a lot of natural athletes. We’ve got some very good cricketers. We haven’t got a lot of slippers… across the board, we’ve just got to get better – it’s as simple as that. We got totally outplayed today, for sure,” Bayliss added further.

The English skipper Alastair Cook has been under the scrutiny following the dismal show in India. Bayliss pointed out that the decision to step down as the captain will solely by Cook’s. He is nowhere interested to interfere in the matter and will be a happy coach either way.

“I haven’t even spoken to him about it. I won’t do – that’s a decision only he will know the answer to. He’s done it for so long, whether I say yes or no, it won’t change his mind whether he keeps going or stops. If he keeps going, fantastic; if he stops, that’s up to him, and I’ve got no problems with that either,” he quoted.

When asked about who could take the baton in case Cook steps down, the England coach tipped Joe Root to be the one. He cited that Root has captained the side in a few tour matches before. Also, Joe Root is arguably the best batsman in the side too.

“Rooty’s done a few games on tour, when Cookie’s had a bit of time off or when he’s off the ground. Joe is obviously our number one bat, and is highly respected by the players. He’s one of those guys who leads by example, and I can’t see that being any different when and if he takes over … if he takes over, I suppose, (because) we haven’t actually made that decision either. That will come next if Cookie does step down. But he seems like he’s the leading candidate at this stage,” conceded Trevor Bayliss.

Lastly, speaking on the prospect of the current Test in Chennai, the veteran coach mentioned that the England team is a strong unit. They have the belief that they can pull out a draw on the final day.

“These guys have character. We’ve been in a few tough situations over these seven Tests and have come out and played well the next day after a bad session or two. They won’t want to get on the plane in a couple of days’ time, having lost another Test match. They’ll want to bat as well as they possibly can,” he concluded.