Yes, the ball was swinging. Yes, conditions were challenging and England had the best bowlers to make full use of it but that doesn’t allow the Indian batsmen to shrug off their responsibility and the Indian vice-captain agrees.
The inept technique coupled with fragile temperament of Indian batting was thoroughly exposed as they crumbled to 107 all out against a top quality England seam attack on a rain-hit second day.
"You have to accept your mistake. Acceptance is the key, I think, when you play in England. It's not about getting caught behind, even run out, but you have got to accept your mistake and move on. The quicker we learn from our mistakes, the better for us. I am sure everyone will learn from this innings and there is a long way to go in this match as well as the series," Rahane said.
Asked about his own batting, he said, "Before I got out today I was thinking about my innings at Lord's in 2014. I think we had less time to bat out, about 25-30 minutes to bat out this evening. In my head, I only had one thought if we could bat out today then tomorrow it could be totally different."
Pacer James Anderson took 5/20 as only two Indian batsmen crossed the 20-run mark. The Dukes ball swung prodigiously as rain interrupted India's first innings thrice on day two.
"These were definitely challenging conditions. Anderson did not bowl a short ball. He was just bowling at the same spot -- four or five-metre length -- and that is really crucial on this wicket. If you are bowling that length, you got to bowl consistently, then as a batsman, you have to leave the ball or back your methods consistently. It is all about patience on these conditions and trusting your methods and backing your ability," said the visiting team vice-captain.
"Anderson was really good. He bowled in the right areas. Bowling 13-14 overs for 20 overs and getting five wickets is really good, and that's why he is a quality bowler."
Despite a low total, Rahane tried to put up a brave face for his side and said they cannot make excuses for another poor batting effort overall. He added that the team would continue fighting in this game with three days still left to play.
"They used the conditions really well. I thought the wicket, because of the weather we cannot control. The first half, when the game was on and off, it was difficult for batting team to switch on and off. But when you play at the highest level, no excuses. I would like to give credit to English bowling team -- Anderson, Stuart Broad and others -- they bowled really well as a unit.