It took only one and half sessions to complete the formalities.The wicket of skipper cook off the last ball on fourth day demoralised the whole team. Resuming at 87 for the loss of two wickets England only managed to add another 61 runs. Ashwin and jadeja were the wreckers in chief. Shami and the debutant Jayant Yadav played the second fiddle.
India had potentially 540 balls to get eight wickets, or even more if they could manage it. Root had faced 23 balls before the morning but England had a bigger worry straight up. The batsman joining him in the middle, after Cook’s last-ball-dismissal on the fourth evening, was someone who had struggled against spin. India started off on a confident note was evident given how R Ashwin had Ben Duckett’s number all through the series. The left-hander faced all of six balls against Ashwin on the last day before gloving a sweep onto his pad and to leg slip. Jadeja got Moeen Ali caught bat-pad at leg slip after getting one to spit up and turn out of the rough. England had lost two wickets inside the first hour and the finish line was getting further and further away. It got worse as Jayant Yadav, in just his second over of the day, got Stokes playing down the wrong line and turn one past his bat to dent the off stump.
Root was the only hope for England to save the match.But to everyone’s surprise Shami was brought back into the attack. The move quickly paid off as he removed Root with a classic inswinger and had him LBW in a superb over that saw him trouble the batsman with all sorts of deliveries. At Lunch, England went in at 142 for seven with a minimum of 57 overs left in the day, and staring at the bottom of the barrel. In the second over after lunch, Ashwin spun one past Zafaar Ansari’s bat to hit the stumps while Stuart Broad missed a full ball, in line with the stumps, while trying a sweep against Jayant. Anderson fell next ball, missing one that went straight on.India had to review the final decision to get it in their favour and complete an emphatic victory to go 1-0 up in the series.
