Agencies
Mumbai, Dec 12: The writing was clear on the wall Sunday and India took exactly eight overs to seal the Test series win over England at the Wankhede Stadium here Monday. The margin of victory was massive – an innings and 36 runs in the fourth Tets – but even then it clearly did not portray, the superiority that the hosts have enjoyed over the visitors in the five-game series. India lead the series 3-0, but even then head coach Anil Kumble said ‘there would be no let up’ as they would like to make it 4-0 at Chennai.
It was a messy end to England’s misery during which Ravi Ashwin (6/55) took his 24th five wickets or more haul in the longest version of the game. In between the Tamil Nadu all-rounder (it would be right to call him that now) also told England’s premier pacer James Anderson as to exactly what he felt about the latter’s ‘uncharitable’ comments Sunday about India’s captain. For once Virat Kohli, was seen playing the role of a peacemaker.
No doubt, India were fired up by Anderson’s comments on Kohli and they reacted with the confidence of a team who at present are in a very positive frame of mind. It meant India winning their fifth successive Test series under Kohli … a feat unmatched in the annals of the game in India. This incidentally was only the third time in the history of the game when a side after scoring 400 in the first innings had lost by an innings.
England hopes depended on Jonny Bairstow (51) and Jos Buttler (six not out). But Ashwin ended all that with his famous carom ball… the 15th delivery of the morning. Bairstow read it all wrong, played across the line of the ball and was caught plumb in front. England’s hopes were all over, bar the shouting.
Chris Woakes (0) and Adil Rashid (2) also left in quick succession… the former done in by a sharply spinning ball that burst through the gap between bat and pad to peg back the stumps. And then Ashwin, rightly finished off things having Anderson caught at mid-on by Umesh Yadav and India were over the moon. The Anthony De Mello Trophy was finally back on home soil after three series and four years.
Ashwin for the seventh time in his career took 10 wickets or more in Tests and now only has to achieve the feat two more times to beat his present mentor Kumble who has eight 10-for figures. With the Australian series on the anvil, there is every possibility, that the offie will set another milestone very soon. But the way he has been bowling, no one will deny him the accolades.
Four nil in the five-Test series and another new record against England? That looks a distinct possibility now.
