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| Fourth test, Ahmedabad (day three): |
| England 205 (Stokes 55; Axar 4-68) and 135 (Lawrence 50; Ashwin 5-47, Axar 5-48) |
| India 365 (Pants 101, Sundar 96 *) |
| India won by one inning and 25 runs. |
| Scorekeeper |
England’s series defeat in India was sealed with an abject final batting collapse on the third day of the fourth Test in Ahmedabad.
Needing 160 to get India to hit again, England found themselves at 10-2, 20-3 and 30-4.
Dan Lawrence showed composure in his 50s, but England was ultimately knocked out by 125 to lose by one inning and 25 runs.
Axar Patel claimed 5-48 – his fourth five-wicket round of the series – and Ravichandran Ashwin 5-47 when England lost all 10 wickets in one inning to tour for the third round in a row.
The home team had previously extended their first innings from 294-7 to 365, Washington Sundar was stranded at 96 not out when the last three wickets fell runless in five deliveries.
By taking the series 3-1, India earned a place in the World Test Championship final, booking a meeting with New Zealand in June. England finishes fourth in the table.
The first of Twenty20’s five internationals between these two sides is on Friday, with that series followed by three one-day internationals.
Family mistakes, horrible punches, and comic bad luck
His morning on the ball saw England flat and tired, a worrying sign that the hitting is yet to come.
Immediately, those fears came true as the wickets fell into a frenzy of family mistakes, hideous knocks, and comic bad luck.
In Ashwin’s first over, Zak Crawley became another player to play for a non-existent turn, and he slipped. From the next ball, Jonny Bairstow carelessly spun it to slip his leg.
Dom Sibley was unlucky enough that a sweep shot bounced off a short leg and fell into goalkeeper Pant’s hands, but Ben Stokes was guilty when his sweep ended in a leg slip.
A skittish Ollie Pope ran past Axar to be perplexed, while skipper Joe Root looked comfortable for 30 until he felt palpably up to Ashwin.
At least Lawrence backed up 46 in the first inning with solid defense, crisp footwork, and sure hitting play to make his second half-century test before becoming the last to fall, hitting Ashwin. .
England’s highest total in their last seven innings is 205, time in which they have not managed a single pair to exceed 50.
The comforts of home in India
After the shock of losing the first round, India has responded with great victories thanks to the dominance of Ashwin and Axar.
Not once have the hosts made a total of more than 400, but they have found enough runs from starter Rohit Sharma and lower-order contributions from Pant, Ashwin and Sundar.
In truth, this game was won in the first two days, after which the Indian spinners tormented England’s batsmen with their sleight of hand, natural variation, and relentless precision.
Ashwin and Axar finish with 59 wickets between them in the series, despite Axar missing the first round.
The only disappointment from the hosts’ point of view was that Sundar was denied a maiden century after gracefully moving out of her 60s overnight and not away.
England did not appear to attack until Axar was exhausted, with the tireless Stokes taking the last two wickets in the next over to finish at 4-89.
The manner of defeat raises questions for England
In a sense, England’s test winter, this series was preceded by a 2-0 victory in Sri Lanka, is respectable, particularly given that their first game win against India was only the hosts’ second defeat at home. in 38 tests since 2013.
But it’s the way they delivered the initiative and the series that will come under scrutiny.
While batting performances declined and conditions were misinterpreted, this tour will also be remembered for England’s rest and rotation policy.
The desire to look after the physical and mental well-being of the players is understandable, but England’s approach has arguably caused more problems than it has solved.
For example, Bairstow has recorded three ducks since they rested after the Sri Lanka Trials. Dom Bess seems devoid of confidence after being eliminated, but was later called in, while his replacement on the side, Moeen Ali, took a scheduled rest period after being asked to stay.
England is likely to always face him in strange conditions against a supreme Indian team at home.
But did tourists give themselves the best chance to be successful?
‘We don’t lie down’
England Captain Joe Root: “At no point did we lay down. We did not score runs that we would have liked and the way we did things could have been a little better, but ultimately the credit has to go to India, they have beaten us on surfaces that we have had in front of us “.
Ravichandran Ashwin Series Player: “We came from the top in Australia and we lost the first test, the intensity was very low and the penny had not dropped. After that we had to get up and win three on the rebound. Every time there was a challenging passage of the game, someone raised the hand and handed over for us. “
Former England captain Michael Vaughan on The Cricket Social: “England have not found a method to improve with bat in hand. Every time the game has been in play, India has found a way to take control.
“We weren’t expecting too much today, but still losing three or four fast wickets repeatedly in one inning is something we’ve seen far too often in England.”
BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew: “India’s hitting hasn’t been outstanding either. I wonder how many runs the Indian batsmen would have scored against their bowlers. It’s important to add that for balance. They were rescued by Rishabh Pant and Rohit Sharma, and then they had two. magnificent spinners.. “
