McCullum Calls for 'Spicy' Lord's Pitch After England's Edgbaston Loss to India OR England Coach McCullum Wants Faster Lord's Pitch After Edgbaston Defeat; Stokes Agrees Surface Favored India

Following England's defeat at Edgbaston, coach Brendon McCullum has echoed captain Ben Stokes' assessment of the pitch as being similar to those found in the subcontinent. Looking ahead to the third Test at Lord's, McCullum is hoping for a surface with more pace and bounce.

Akash Deep congratulates Brendon McCullum following India's dominant win at Edgbaston.

Speaking to The Telegraph, McCullum expressed his desire for a "spicy" pitch at Lord's. "Something with a bit more pace, a bit more bounce, and maybe a little bit of sideways, hopefully," he stated.

India's commanding 337-run victory in the second Test leveled the five-match series at 1-1. The Indian bowlers exploited the conditions effectively, leading to England's defeat.

England has bolstered their squad with the addition of Gus Atkinson. Speculation is also rife about the potential return of Jofra Archer to Test cricket after a four-year absence.

McCullum acknowledged that England misjudged the Edgbaston pitch. He praised the Indian bowlers for capitalizing on the "subcontinent-type" surface.

"We were thinking that the pitch would get better as the game went on, and we probably got that one wrong," McCullum admitted. "We saw that it was probably more of a subcontinent-type pitch, and I thought India were exceptional."

He highlighted Shubman Gill's impressive batting performance and commended Akash Deep's bowling, noting that the Indian bowlers' familiarity with such surfaces gave them an advantage.