What a way to finish a fascinating Test series with India coming out on top in dominant fashion! At no point in this Test match did it look as if India would give up control. Right from Day 1, it has been the hosts on the driver's seat. After being bowled out for 477 earlier on Day 3, India fought back hard with the ball and took wickets at regular intervals to stifle England's second innings. Most English batters were guilty of playing some rash shots against the high-quality spin bowling of Ravi Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja. Ashwin on his part, wrecked the batting order with a splendid five-wicket haul (5/77) while Kuldeep and Bumrah took two each. Ashwin with this, became the player with most fifers for India in Test cricket. Joe Root was England's standout performer with 84 runs and he was the lone warrior for his side. England did have something to cheer about though with James Anderson taking his 700th wicket in Test cricket. Shoaib Bashir also starred with a five-wicket haul, his second in as many matches. It finishes 4-1 to India and it is a massive victory, given the fact that few of the regulars were not around.
IND Win By an Innings and 64 Runs | India vs England Highlights of 5th Test 2024 Day 3: All-Round India Come Out on Top in Emphatic Fashion, Clinch Series 4-1
India won the five-match Test series convincingly by a 4-1 margin with Rohit Sharma and his men claiming a win by an innings and 64 runs in Dharamshala. England had won the first match in Hyderabad but since then, it has been all India in the series.
OUT! England's brief resistance have ended with Ravindra Jadeja going through Shoaib Bashir's defenses. India one wicket away from a win while England need 70 runs to make India bat again. Shoaib Bashir b Ravindra Jadeja 13(29)
FIFTY for Joe Root! What a knock it has been from the right-hander, who showed how to bat on a pitch like this! He has churned out some valuable runs for his side amidst all the chaos.
OUT! Jasprit Bumrah dismisses Mark Wood and England are now just two wickets away from losing this Test in three days! The ball was a pretty straight one and replays showed that it would have crashed right into the stumps. Mark Wood lbw b Jasprit Bumrah 0(2)
OUT! Jasprit Bumrah is into the act now and he has dismissed Tom Hartley! India are cruising to a victory here and it might not be too late for that! Tom Hartley lbw b Jasprit Bumrah 20(24)
OUT! A five-wicket haul for Ravi Ashwin in his 100th Test match! What a performance this has been! He castles Ben Foakes to get to this mark. Ben Foakes b Ravi Ashwin 8(17)
OUT! A five-wicket haul for Ravi Ashwin in his 100th Test match! What a performance this has been! He castles Ben Foakes to get to this mark. Ben Foakes b Ravi Ashwin 8(17)
And that would be lunch on Day 3! It has another session of India's dominance in this Test match. India's innings ended early on 477 with James Anderson claiming his 700th Test wicket while Shoaib Bashir bagged a second consecutive fifer. But India came back roaring in this contest with Ravi Ashwin leading the charge with four wickets. Kuldeep Yadav also got the wicket of Jonny Bairstow. Right at the stroke of lunch, Ashwin handed India a massive boost by dismissing Ben Stokes.
OUT! One more for Ravi Ashwin who has now castled Ben Stokes in the last over before lunch! England are falling apart completely here and at this rate, India might just eye a win today itself! Ben Stokes b Ravi Ashwin 2(10)
OUT! Kuldeep Yadav has struck in the second innings for the first time and has taken out Jonny Bairstow, who was played with aggression. The ball spun back sharply to hit him on his pads as he attempted to defend it and DRS stated it to be 'Umpire's Call'. The on-field umpire had raised his finger and his decision stays. Jonny Bairstow lbw b Kuldeep Yadav 39(31)
OUT! One more wicket here for India and it is Ravi Ashwin who has taken his third of the morning! What a performance from India as Ollie Pope perishes in an attempt to play a sweep shot. The ball took a top edge and Yashasvi Jaiswal completes a fascinating running catch! England's innings in complete disarray here. Ollie Pope c Yashasvi Jaiswal b Ravi Ashwin 19(23)
OUT! Ravi Ashwin has struck again, dismissing Zak Crawley with Sarfaraz Khan taking a good catch! England have lost both their openers now in a quick span of time. Zak Crawley c Sarfaraz Khan b Ravichandran Ashwin 1(16)
OUT! Ravi Ashwin has struck early for India and Ben Duckett has to depart with his stumps being rattled! The left-hander gave Ashwin the charge pretty early on and paid the price after he missed the ball! England rocked early! Ben Duckett b Ravi Ashwin 2(5)
OUT! Shoaib Bashir has another five-wicket haul in this Test cricket. He dismisses Jasprit Bumrah as India have finished their first innings effort at 477 runs. Jasprit Bumrah st Ben Foakes b Shoaib Bashir 20(64)
OUT! James Anderson completes 700 Test wickets, the first fast bowler in test cricket history to do so! He has Kuldeep Yadav edge behind to Ben Foakes, who takes a simple catch! Kuldeep Yadav c Ben Foakes b Anderson 30(69)
After dominating yet another day, India would be heading into Day 3 of the fifth and final Test against England with a load of confidence. Captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill scored centuries earlier in the day which tightened India's grip in the contest before England did hit back, dismissing those two set batters. But India's batting was not just done yet. Debutant Devdutt Padikkal and Sarfaraz Khan teamed up to pile more misery on England and scored stylish half-centuries before the visitors fought back with some quick wickets. Just when England thought they could wrap up India's first innings effort easily, came a stubborn 45-run partnership between Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav, who ensured that no further damage was done to India's wickets' column on Day 2. 'Fancy a Chess Match Sometime?' Viswanathan Anand Calls Ravi Ashwin A ‘Chess Player Among Cricketers’, Congratulates Him on Playing 100 Test Matches.
While India's batting performed as a whole led by Rohit and Shubman's centuries and crucial knocks from the bat of Padikkal and Sarfaraz, England had something to cheer about with Shoaib Bashir taking three wickets on Day 2. He now is on the cusp of a five-wicket haul in back-to-back Test matches, something he would not have imagined earlier. James Anderson bowled a peach of a delivery to centurion Shubman but the most memorable of them was skipper Ben Stokes, who bowled for the first time since last July and picked up the wicket of his opposite number with his very first delivery. Tom Hartley also got two wickets as he continued his impressive run in this series. Ben Stokes Dismisses Rohit Sharma With His First Delivery After Returning to Bowling During IND vs ENG 5th Test 2024 (Watch Video).
India now have a mammoth 255-run lead and two wickets in hand. They will hope to finish the Indian innings as quickly as possible and more importantly, come up with a strong batting response on Day 3. For India though, a goal might be to add around 20-25 more runs if not less to the lead before they are bowled out.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 09, 2024 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).