Ending over a month of Test cricket played across the country, Rohit Sharma's Indian team completed a big victory over England on Day 3 of the Dharamsala Test, winning the match by an innings and 64 runs.
R Ashwin, playing his 100th Test, was the pick of the bowlers for India once again, completing a fifer and finishing with a haul of 5/77 in England's second innings. Kuldeep followed up his five-wicket haul in the first innings with 2/40, while Bumrah picked 2/38 as England were bowled out for 195 in 48.1 overs.
In the morning session, England's off-spinner Shoaib Bashir took his second five-wicket haul in Tests while veteran pacer James Anderson became the first fast bowler to pick 700 wickets in the format as England bowled out India for 477 in their first innings.
India started what ended up being the final day of the series on the overnight score of 473/8 with Kuldeep Yadav on 27 and Jasprit Bumrah on 19. The pair added four more runs to the score before Anderson picked his 700th Test wicket as he lured Kuldeep into poking outside the off-stump and got a healthy nick to keeper Ben Foakes, ending the 49-run stand for the ninth wicket.
The wicket made Anderson only the third bowler to pick 700 or more Test wickets, after Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800 wickets) and Australia’s Shane Warne (708 wickets).
Bashir then completed his five-wicket haul when he drew Bumrah forward on the front foot and had him stumped from behind to end India’s innings on 477.
Bashir also became the first England bowler to claim a five-wicket haul twice in Tests before the age of 21.
Though India captain Rohit Sharma could not take the field due to a stiff back, as per the BCCI, with Jasprit Bumrah taking charge of the proceedings, taking a lead of 259 runs meant the hosts’ had done enough to put almighty pressure under England.
That came true when opener Ben Duckett tried to take the attacking route against Ashwin, but totally played down the wrong line after dancing down the pitch and see his off-stump being rattled. Zak Crawley was next to fall for a 16-ball duck, with short leg catching his flick off Ashwin. England were reduced to 21/2 in the first 6 overs of their innings.
An unsettled Ollie Pope top-edged to running square leg, giving Ashwin his third wicket of the innings. Jonny Bairstow was aggressive in his strokeplay to make 39 off 31 balls, laced with three fours and as many sixes. But he was trapped lbw after being unable to account for sharp turn from Kuldeep, with replays showing the ball clipping top of leg-stump.
Ashwin came back for another over and that move paid off when his slider castled England skipper Ben Stokes through the gate at the stroke of Lunch.
The post-lunch session saw Foakes and Root hanging around for 15 minutes, before Ravichandran Ashwin teased the former to go for a slog-sweep, which he did and castled him through the gate.
Tom Hartley resisted by hitting four boundaries, before being trapped plumb lbw by Jasprit Bumrah. Two balls later, Bumrah trapped Mark Wood lbw for a two-ball duck with a straighter delivery.
Root marched forward to bring up his fifty in 88 balls with a flick through backward square leg for four. He and Shoaib Bashir hit nine boundaries between themselves, before the latter saw his off-stump being rattled by Ravindra Jadeja. Kuldeep ended the match by having Root hole out to long-on to ensure a 4-1 series win for India.
(With inputs from IANS)
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