England began their five-match Test series in India with an impressive 28-run win in Hyderabad, coming back from a 190-run first-innings deficit. However, the hosts pulled their socks after that clinched the next four Tests to register their 17th consecutive Test series win at home.
Speaking after the team’s disappointing performance in what was a much-hyped series, McCullum was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo, "If anything, we got more timid as the series went on, and that was because of the pressure that was applied to us by the Indian line-up, not just with the ball. With the bat, they put us under a tremendous amount of pressure, too.”
The former New Zealand captain also admitted that India exposed England’s weaknesses during the course of the five-match series. "Sometimes, you can get away with things. But when you're exposed the way we have been in the back end of this series in particular, it does require some pretty deep thinking and some adjustment to make sure we're staying true to what we believe in," McCullum elaborated.
On the plans to recover from the drubbing, the former keeper-batter stated that England will have to show significant improvement in some areas, so that they can deliver much better results in the summer. "There are some things where you can get a little bit of luck on your side and paper over a couple of the cracks. When you are exposed to the way we have been here, you know that you have to get better in some areas,” McCullum commented.
“The next couple of months will be us working out that and making sure when we come to the summer we are a more refined version of what we are at the minute," he added.
After winning the first Test in Hyderabad, England lost the second match in Vizag by 106 runs. They had their chances both in Rajkot and Ranchi, but India emerged victorious on both occasions. By the time the teams met in Dharamsala, the visitors were completed sapped and surrendered by an innings and 64 runs inside three days.
--By A Cricket Correspondent
