India vs England, 5th Test, Day 3: Ravichandran Ashwin flummoxes England with 5-77; India win by innings and 64 runs. India win 5 test match series by 4-1.
Brief Scores: IND 477 (Gill 110, Rohit 103, Bashir 5/173) beat ENG 218 (Crawley 79, Kuldeep 5/72, Ashwin 4/51) and 195 (Root 84, Bairstow 39, Ashwin 5/77) by an innings and 64 runs.
In what was yet another dominant bowling display by the bowlers, the home team dismantled a hapless England side for a paltry score of 195.
After a great batting show put on by India where two of their batters (Shubman and Rohit), it was Ravichandran Ashwin who made his 100th Test even more memorable by scalping his 36th five wicket hauls. These along with several other performances played a key role in India securing win by an innings
Talking Points from India vs England 5th Test, Day 3
A player becomes legendary is when they step up on the big occasion and India’s champion spinner Ravi Ashwin did just that on his milestone 100th Test match. While India has already the series in the bank, there were important WTC points at stake.
Following a four-wicket haul in the first innings, Ashwin ran through the visitors batting order by removing 5 of their top 7 batters in the second innings.
Read More: IND vs ENG, 5th Test, Day 2: India surge 255 runs ahead of England, end day at 473-8
Ashwin strikes 4 times as India inch closer to an innings win
England wrapped up the Indian innings in under 6 overs with the overnight duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav adding just 4 runs to the total. It turned out to be a memorable little phase for Jimmy Anderson as he snapped his 700th Test wicket in the process.
Though the Indian first innings ended early on Day 3, it was always going to be a difficult ask for the visitors to make them bat again with the large lead conceded. In response, England had a torrid start to their final batting essay of the series as they lost 3 wickets for 36 runs, all to Ravi Ashwin. While the in-form Zak Crawley fell to a leg side trap, Ben Duckett and Pope’s dismissal can be attributed to poor choice of shots.
Jonny Bairstow who is playing his 100th Test played a counter-attacking and entertaining knock of 39 during his 31-ball stay but it was cut short following the introduction of Kuldeep Yadav. Then Ashwin bowled a peach to shatter the timber of Ben Stokes as England left reeling at 103/5.
Read More: IND vs ENG, 5th Test, Day 1: Kuldeep 5-72 stunts England to 218, India 135 -1 in response
India cruise to an innings win despite Root’s resistance
It looked like just a matter of time before the home team bundled out England and panned out that way. Immediately post the break Ashwin added yet another wicket to his kitty when Ben Foakes tried an ugly hoick. While Joe Root was content to take his time, Tom Hartley played his shot before stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah trapped him in front.
Root (84) brought up his second fifty plus score of the series and good company in the form of Bashir as the duo added 48 runs for the 9th wicket. But it was too little too late as it couldn’t prevent an innings defeat for England.
What’s to come
With this 4-1 series result in favour of India, their home summer with regards to international cricket ends. It will now time for the T20 carnival, the IPL followed by the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.
Read More: IND vs ENG, 5th Test, Day 1: Kuldeep 5-72 stunts England to 218, India 135 -1 in response
Statistical highlights from Day 3 of the fifth Test
- James Anderson became the first fast bowler in the history of the game to breach the 700 wicket milestone in Test with the scalp of Kuldeep Yadav. Overall, he is the third cricketer to do so after Muthiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708).
- Shoaib Bashir claimed his 2nd five wicket haul in Tests and becomes the youngest England bowler to snap 2 fifers in the format (before turning 21).
- Ravi Ashwin has now dismissed Ben Stokes 13 times in Test cricket. The English skipper averages a mere 19.5 against Ashwin the format scoring 253 runs in the process.
- Ashwin (36) has overtaken Anil Kumble (35) to become the bowler with most fifers in Tests for India. He is tied at third on this list overall with Richard Hadlee, only behind Muralitharan (67) & Warne (37).
- Ravi Ashwin has taken 5 wicket haul both in his first (6/47 at Delhi in 2011) and 100th Test.
- He became only the fourth bowler after Muralitharan, Kumble and Warne to pick a 5-wicket haul in the 100th Test.
- Joe Root now has 9 fifty plus scores (3 centuries) in India, the joint most second by a visiting batsman in the country (Same as Alastair Cook and Clive Lloyd). Only Javed Miandad with 11 fifty plus scores has more than this trio.
- With this knock, Root (1272) surpassed Alastair Cook’s tally of 1235 runs in India to become the 2nd highest leading run scorer for a visiting batter in India. Only Clive Lloyd with 1359 has more Test runs in India among overseas batters.
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