"England lost the Test match because some of their batsmen did not have the self-belief, mental application and skill to play the turning ball. Ian Bell`s stupid attempt in the first innings to hit his first ball over the top was a huge mental error," Boycott wrote in his column for a leading daily.
"To play like that when you have his skill shows he must have been sat waiting to go in with a scrambled brain, worrying to death about how he played the last time he was in India and his poor performances against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in February," he added.
"Then there was Kevin Pietersen`s second innings premeditated sweep to another left-arm spinner who bowled him with a full toss around leg stump," he further wrote.
Boycott added: "In both cases our two most accomplished stroke-players were not convinced they had a good enough defensive technique to fight their way through the first 30 minutes with the ball turning and four men around the bat."
"If England are going to make a fist of the next three Test matches every batsman has to play like Alastair Cook, with the self belief, determination and willpower that they can cope with the turning ball," he wrote.
"Don`t go attacking the bowling before you are in. That was the mistake Bell and KP made. When you get in, don`t give it away. Make big scores because time is not important. It is runs that are crucial for England if we are going to have any chance of winning," he concluded.
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