On a day when Jimmy Anderson celebrated his GOAT status, England’s campaign ended in complete failure as India’s mighty spinners suffered a second wicket avalanche, turning a missed opportunity tour into a comprehensive 4- 1 heavy hit.
Just 13 minutes into the third day, the carabiner slipped off and has since been untied, a moment that visitors will cherish. As Kuldeep Yadav powered in from behind, Anderson became the first seamer in the history of Test cricket (given the direction the format is going) to reach 700 wickets , and most likely the last seamer.
The 41-year-old finds himself in truly rarefied air with only two standout spinners above him: Shane Warne (708) and Muttiah Muralitharan (800). But Anderson’s milestone can’t overshadow what happened next. England fell behind by 259 runs after an initial tone-setting collapse on day one at the hands of Kuldeep, and were bowled out for 195 in 48.1 overs; an innings and 64-run defeat that robbed Hyderabad six weeks ago The case has become people’s memory.
Anderson deserved better than this; better than a flurry of yahoos and general bewilderment in England’s final game on tour. In India, only Joe Root looked fresh, unpacked and unprepared for business class, his composed and professional 84 looming large over the top seven.
Rohit Sharma witnessed India’s victory from the comfort of the sidelines – Jasprit Bumrah at the helm, a stiff back recovering from the rigors of the previous day. Ravichandran Ashwin celebrated his 100th international match with a 77-run 5-wicket haul for nine on the day; a rich reward for a spinner who always strives for perfection .
But Ashwin, who has taken 516 Test wickets in his career and with his young family cheering him on from the stands, has also delivered countless better spells for less. This time, his victims fell to the ground – not that India had secured their 17th consecutive win in the home series, but the scoreline didn’t quite make it.
Ben Stokes and his players will have to wear this one and who knows, they might have some real conversations about who they are and what they want to be. The truth session might start with a re-evaluation of the no-shot being a bad shot, a feeling that fell apart a bit when Ben Duckett was seen rushing to Ashwin for the fifth ball and being bowled.
This led to three wickets in 10 overs and five wickets in 23 overs before lunch, with Crawley taking a tour of 407 runs – one of three scores in the 70s but one in the 70s. Mountain sickness set in after that – when he fiddled with Ashwin to back short leg for 16 to end the duck. Ollie Pope was frightened by a magnificent drive that split him in half and soon died on the 19th, trying to sweep the outside off the stumps only to have Ashwin The ball of the accurate arm is pointed towards the sky.
Jonny Bairstow chewed gum and immediately exchanged words with Shubman Gill over comments about Anderson’s retirement the next day, but he did little to rebut rumors about his possible international caps 100 and out of the game remarks. He soared for the second time in a thrilling over, hitting three sixes off Ashwin and saw Kuldeep replaced, only for the wrist-spinner’s fourth ball to His back foot got stuck.
Bairstow scored 39 points, the highest score in the series, which has seen scores of more than 25 points seven times. However, his skipper’s performance with the bat was not much better. Stokes got two runs but was still bowled for two when he lunged forward to the returning Ashwin’s slip. Lunch followed and England were tied at 103 for five, with defeat in three days inevitable.
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It will be interesting to see what it leads to next summer, especially with Harry Brooke set to return. Ben Foakes, who averages 20.5 runs despite wearing silk gloves on the tour, may find himself left out in the cold again. Perhaps that was the reason behind Ashwin’s hard-fought 36th five-wicket haul, with Fox bowling in an attempt to show he was fit.
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Root was an island of calm and skill all the while, ensuring that the tour initially limited by Bumrah ended with a return to his usual form. After witnessing his former tormentors starting to annihilate the lower order, Root was eager to complete the defeat and hand his third wicket to Kuldeep, who may have escaped investigation.
It also ensured that pictures of England’s last batsman, Anderson, were mostly happy ones, such as when he was alongside Shoaib Bashir earlier in the day after trying to get the 20-year-old to bat first Go away. The young spinner had just taken his second Test five-wicket haul, although India’s early completion of 477 only makes a quick end to the game more likely.
