Ravichandran Ashwin defended India's faltering top order after the visitors' 31-run loss in the first Test against England here on Saturday. Apart from Virat Kohli, no other batsmen managed to cross 50, as the England seamers exposed the chinks in India's batting against the moving ball. Kohli scored 46 per cent of India's runs in the Test which highlights the lack of contribution from the other batsmen.

"I think it was quite a tough pitch to bat on. I don't think batsmen from both sides were able to make runs with a lot of freedom barring the partnership between [Joe] Root and [Jonny] Bairstow in the first innings and then Virat from our side. It has been quite a struggle that way, so I think we need to give batsmen some space that way," Ashwin told reporters after the loss.