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India thrash England in the fifth and final test by an innings and 64 runs in Dharmashala. India dominated in all departments from the first day of play. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recorded his 36th five-wicket haul in the second innings of a landmark 100th test of his career. England were bundled out for 195 after India took a lead of 258 runs.
The second day’s play ended with Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah showing their batting potential and holding the Indian innings. In the morning of the third day, James Anderson became the first pacer to notch up 700 test wickets after he got Kuldeep Yadav caught behind for 30. Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir wrapped up the innings with a five-wicket haul, finally stopping the hosts at 477.
Jasprit Bumrah took charge of the team in the absence of Rohit Sharma, who was not on the field. The England batters were puzzled and had no answers to the questions posed by the bowlers. Joe Root made 84, and Jonny Bairstow (39) also got a start, while other English batters failed to show resistance against the dominance.
From the first innings itself, India was in the groove, restricting England to 218. Except for Crawley’s 79, no other English batter was able to cross the 30-run mark. Spinners picked up all the wickets, with Kuldeep scalping five and Ashwin four. As India came in to bat, their dominance continued, with the top order going all the way. Jaiswal scored an impressive 57, and scores from Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill ensured India’s comfortable position. Debutant Devdutt Padikkal also showed a strong display, scoring 65 before being dismissed by Shoaib Basir. In the end, Kuldeep was again impressed with his batting skills, contributing 30 to help India reach 477.
This was the first series defeat for English Captain Ben Stokes. This series had huge positives to take away: Jaiswal’s consistency, Sarfaraz’s courageous batting display, and Dhruv Jurel’s resistance in the lower middle order. The positives don’t end here; Subhman Gill’s curve again seems to rise, with Rohit Sharma again proving his critics wrong with runs under his belt. In the bowling department, Kuldeep Yadav had his charm back, with Ashwin moving from milestone to milestone, and the pacers continued to shine.
As the series ends 4-1, all focus will now shift to the Indian Premier League, as players will join the camps of the franchises soon. IPL 2024 will remain the focus for the preparation of the T20 World Cup scheduled for June.
