Ravichandran Ashwin helps India to a 4-1 Series victory, as they defeat England by an Innings and 61 runs.
When India began Day 3 on 473-8, with a lead of 255, it was about how many runs the tail could add on, to frustrate Ben Stokes’s side in the field.
But Anderson was hungry for his 700th Test wicket, and he got it by nicking off Kuldeep Yadav at 477-9.
Embed from Getty ImagesShoaib Bashir ended India’s first innings of 477, with the wicket of Jasprit Bumrah.
Embed from Getty ImagesSo with India having a healthy first innings score of 259, could they make the most out of it by nipping out some early English wickets?
Well, they started of brilliantly, when Ashwin took the early wicket of Ben Duckett at 2-1.
Embed from Getty ImagesOllie Pope began his innings confidently.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut Zak Crawley’s timidness with the bat cost him his wicket, as he guided a straight ball off his pads, straight into the hands of Sarfaraz Khan at Leg Slip at 21-2.
Embed from Getty ImagesJoe Root showed his class against India’s spinners.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut Pope’s eagerness to score, cost him against Ashwin, as he top-edged a slog sweep straight to Yashasvi Jaiswal at Short Fine Leg, at 36-3.
Embed from Getty ImagesEven though England looked down and out, Root still had a point to prove of being a class player.
Embed from Getty ImagesJonny Bairstow looked to be positive at the other end.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was as though he was batting on a different planet than everybody else.
Embed from Getty ImagesHe brought up his 50 partnership with Root, with a lovely punch off the back foot.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut just as he was shifting gears, Kuldeep pinned him to the crease, at 92-4. Bairstow did send it for a review, however, ball tracking decided to stick with the Umpire’s call of out.
Embed from Getty ImagesMeanwhile, England’s number four, looked in fluid touch at the other end.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut Ashwin claimed his fourth scalp of the innings at 103-5, by bowling Ben Stokes through the gate.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis also was the last ball of the session, and Root was the lone ranger, with England’s hopes of taking the match to Tea, hanging by a thin thread. Could Ben Foakes and the tail help him to stiffel India’s attack?
The answer was no, as Foakes mis-judged sweep off Ashwin castled him for eight at 113-7.
Embed from Getty ImagesHartley continued to impress with the bat.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut Jasprit Bumrah put an end to his short innings of 20, at 141-7.
Embed from Getty ImagesBumrah made it two wickets in an over, by removing Wood, with a classical yorker at 141-8.
Embed from Getty ImagesRoot made his way to a well deserved 50 off 88 balls.
Embed from Getty ImagesHe backed it up with a flowing cover drive.
Embed from Getty ImagesBashir hit some lusty blows.
Embed from Getty ImagesHe was just beginning to frustrate India’s bowlers in the field.
Embed from Getty ImagesRoot looked at ease at the other end.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut Ravindra Jadeja got the breakthrough for India, by bowling Bashir at 189-9.
a id=’KOL4MGe2Q1VyoS53ZFrt8w’ class=’gie-single’ href=’http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2062001377′ target=’_blank’ style=’color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;’>Embed from Getty ImagesMeanwhile, the former England captain was eager to get to his century.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut Kuldeep put the final nail in the tourist’s coffin with the wicket of Root ho held out in the deep tum Bumrah at long on.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was a clinical performance from a jubilant Indian team who were just too hot to handle in the mountains of Dharamsala.
Although the England Captain was disappointed with his team’s performance in this match, he was proud with the way they fought throughout most of the Series.
‘We are man enough and big enough to accept that we have been outplayed by the better team since the first Test.’ “We are going to take the positives from this series and I’m really looking forward to driving this team even further forward.”
Stokes: BBC Sport
Meanwhile the Indian Captain hailed the team’s bench strength for putting in such wonderful performances throughout the series
“[Our inexperienced players] responded very well to pressure throughout the series and there were a lot of times where we came from behind. “Credit to the entire team for that because all our players put their hand up at some point to contribute.”
Sharma: BBC Sport
Kuldeep was named man of the match, for his game changing spell of 5-72 in the first innings
Hard work from the last couple of years, getting the reward. I liked the Zak Crawley wicket. Focusing on the length, landing the ball on a good length. Not thinking about the batter. Length, the pace that I’m bowling and the rhythm. [Batting improvements] The batting coach helped be a lot, not only the skill aspect but the mental aspect.”
Kuldeep: ESPN Cricinfo
Meanwhile for his outstanding batting, which included two double centuries, Yashasvi Jaiswal was named Man Of the Series.
“Really enjoyed it, gave me a lot of experiences. Really happy with the way I played. [Sixes] Thinking to play my shots, if I think I can score runs, I will take it on. Trying to play one match at a time, enjoy it and do something to help my team.”
Jaiswal: ESPN Cricinfo
What a thrilling Series it has been. The scoreline might be 4–1, but England did have opportunities to change it, and they did not seize them.
When you do that against a team like India in their home conditions, they will punish you, and that is exactly what they did.
Image Credit: Deposit Photos