Yashasvi Jaiswal’s maiden double-century, followed by Ravindra Jadeja’s 5-41 were the standout performances, as India crushed England in Rajkot by a whopping 434 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
The Test was on a knife-edge, with the hosts 196-2, with Shubman Gill on 65, and Kuldeep Yadav on 3.
The Men in Blue had a huge lead of 322, and they were looking to push on and bat England out of the game.
England, on the other hand, needed early wickets to stand any chance of an unlikely victory.
Kuldeep started the day with some flowing boundaries.
Embed from Getty ImagesGill joined in at the other end.
Embed from Getty ImagesTheir 50-run stand brought more frustration for England.
Embed from Getty ImagesIndia’s number three was edging ever close to another Test hundred.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut a superb piece of fielding from Ben Stokes, ran him out for 91, at 246-3.
Embed from Getty ImagesJaiswal, who walked off the field due to a cramp on his lower back, picked up where he left on 109.
Embed from Getty ImagesRehan Ahmed got England’s second wicket of the day, by removing Kuldeep for a useful 27 at 258-4.
Embed from Getty ImagesJaiswal continued to dominate the bowlers.
a id=’HFusS9HRT2ZIBkh6IXCzYQ’ class=’gie-single’ href=’http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2011427695′ target=’_blank’ style=’color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;’>Embed from Getty ImagesSarfaraz Khan joined in at the other end.
Embed from Getty ImagesWhen India reached lunch at 314-4, England looked flat and out of ideas to stem the flow of runs. The hosts were looking to wear England down, and set up a formidable fourth innings target.
Jaiswal reached 150 in 192 balls.
Embed from Getty ImagesHe also took James Anderson to the cleaners, with three consecutive sixes.
Embed from Getty ImagesSarfaraz also reached a second Test fifty.
a id=’5vaAKXfpSO5nar_ncn3B-g’ class=’gie-single’ href=’http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2019583499′ target=’_blank’ style=’color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;’>Embed from Getty ImagesAnd then Jaiswal’s moment finally came, as he reached his first double hundred in 230 balls.
Embed from Getty ImagesIndia finally declared on 429-4, setting England a mammoth target of 557 to win.
As good as England have been in chasing down fourth-innings scores, this was always going to be a formidable run-chase, even for England’s Bazballers against a quality Indian bowling attack.
Zak Crawley got their reply going with two consecutive boundaries through mid-wicket
Embed from Getty ImagesBut Ben Duckett gifted his wicket away, by running himself out at 15-1.
Embed from Getty ImagesBumrah made it 18-2, by trapping Crawley LBW on the crease.
Embed from Getty ImagesEngland were in a crisis at 16-2 at tea, and they desperately needed a partnership between Ollie Pope and Joe Root to settle the nerves in the dressing room.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut their problems doubled, as Pope’s attempted square cut off Jadeja, found the hands of Rohit Sharma at slip, with England 20-3.
a id=’LrsMmUCAQX9Wv2s9qX5-yA’ class=’gie-single’ href=’http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2011877587′ target=’_blank’ style=’color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;’>Embed from Getty ImagesJonny Bairstow was the next man out LBW, whilst attempting a slog sweep of Jadeja, at 28-4.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe England captain came out to bat with intent.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut just like Bairstow, Root did not learn his lesson, as he too was out attempting a sweep against Jadeja at 50-5. this was a disaster for The Three Lions, as their batsmen looked clueless out in the middle.
Embed from Getty ImagesAnd the curse of the sweep continued, as captain Stokes was out LBW to Kuldeep at 50-6.
Embed from Getty ImagesRehan Ahmed’s lofted straight drive found the hands of Mohammed Siraj at long-on. England were falling like ninepins at 50-7.
Embed from Getty ImagesFoakes and Hartley showed some fight with the bat.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut playing a late cut-off Jadeja is risky business, as the England wicket-keeper found out at 82-8,
Embed from Getty ImagesMark Wood went into T-20 mode.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut it was all too late as Ravichandran Ashwin bowled Tom Hartley at 91-9.
Embed from Getty ImagesAnd Jadeja put the final nail in England’s coffin as India bowled them out for 122, completing a sensational, record-breaking victory.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis was also India’s biggest Test match victory of all time, and England’s biggest margin of defeat, and as good as India was, you have to say that England did not help themselves by their first innings collapse from 224-3 to 319 all out.
India on the other hand was brilliant in every aspect.
Post-Match Reaction
Even thought it was a disappointing defeat, Stokes did not regret how his team were set up to play and vowed to get back on level terms in the Series.
” We wanted to push the game on as much as we could. Sometimes gameplans don’t work out. “Everyone has got a perception and opinion. The people in the dressing room are the opinions that really matter to us. “We leave this game behind us and know we have to win the next two games to win the series.”
Stokes: BBC Sport
Meanwhile, the Indian captain praised his team for the way that they played throughout the four days in Rajkot.
“When you play Test cricket, it’s not played over two days or three days. We know the importance of staying in the game for five days.”They put us under pressure. The message was to stay calm, it’s easy to drift away from what you want to do. I’m proud of how we came back, and when that happens it’s a delight to watch.”
Sharma: BBC Sport
Jadeja was named Man Of The Match for his all-round performance.
‘I was looking to build a partnership with Rohit because we were in a difficult situation at 33-3. ‘My job was to play a big role and look to back my strengths, play my shots, not try to be more conscious, and just watch and play the ball. ‘I know about this wicket if we bat first it’s always good to bat on because the ball comes nicely onto the bat, and in the second innings, it starts to spin, which is what we wanted. ‘On this pitch, you don’t get easy wickets, so you have to work hard for them. You have to bowl the balls in the right areas, work hard, and earn your wickets.
Jadeja:BCCI
So India leads the Series 2-1 with two matches to play. Can England bounce back in Ranchi on Friday or will India seal the Series?
Image Credit: Deposit Photos
