Perhaps Ben Stokes’s lack of interest in career milestones is for the best, as he will likely wish to forget his 100th Test match. This was his first real battering as England captain; India triumphed by 434 runs to take a deserved 2-1 series lead after a comprehensive demolition of their opponents.
England were undone in sweltering heat by a record-breaking unbeaten 214 scored by the young superstar at the top of the Indian order, Yashasvi Jaiswal. England had been set a symbolic 557 to win in four and a half sessions, although perhaps not in their own universe. By 4.45 p.m. local time on the fourth day, they had completely disintegrated, having been dismissed for 122 in 39.4 overs.
This was the spectacle that attracted the largest Sunday crowd in Rajkot, where India had already established its dominance prior to England’s initial collapse to 319 all out on day three. They certainly received what they desired, with Jaiswal equaling the record of Wasim Akram with 12 sixes in a Test innings, bringing his total for the series to a record 22.
Additionally, one of their own, Ravindra Jadeja, bowled his way to figures of five for 41.
After lunch, when Jimmy Anderson was hit for three consecutive sixes by a man 19 years his junior, this seemed entirely attainable; the 21-run over was his most expensive since George Bailey hit him for 28 during the 2013-14 Ashes. Jaiswal resumed the 104 that had been interrupted the day before due to back pain with a full toss and an extra-long follow-up that was carried over by a chef’s kiss.
In addition to Sarfaraz Khan’s pocket-rocket 68 not out from 72 deliveries and Jaiswal’s second double of the series in an hour of afternoon carnage, Rohit Sharma became the first captain to dismiss his team against Stokes with a wave-in. India’s declaration at 430 for four was both an act of mercy for England’s bowlers and the beginning of an inquest.
Ashwin and Jadeja Dominate England
Ravichandran Ashwin, who was returning from a family emergency in Chennai by plane, reached teatime with only eight wickets remaining to add to his 500-run tally. Ben Duckett was dismissed in a manner reminiscent of the most distressing collapses; Jasprit Bumrah caught a bullseye behind Zak Crawley. England subsequently expressed further dissatisfaction with technology, revealing their hasty reasoning.
Ashwin could only add one more to the pile – Tom Hartley, for sixteen late in the piece – as a result of Jadeja, his longtime accomplice in crime, effectively finishing off the middle order for England. The visitors had anticipated this arduous task prior to this series; it was a suffocating ordeal confined within a cage of close catchers, with Jadeja generating significantly more animosity from the pitch than his opposing numbers could muster.
Before that, Joe Root was pinned lbw on the sweep, and Jonny Bairstow made three runs off four deliveries and Ollie Pope lost a run at slip on three.
Following suit, Stokes quickly reached fifty for six in the twenty-third over. He was the first of two victims for Kuldeep Yadav on a day that began with the nightwatchman’s 28 runs, a particularly vexing innings – not least for Shubman Gill, who was dismissed on 91 due to a mix-up.
Putting aside this solitary inconvenience, India performed admirably over the last two days. Their response to Ashwin’s dismissal on the second evening, during which England appeared to be advancing thanks to Duckett’s century reliant on sweeps, was particularly noteworthy.
Of course, attention returned to day one, when Jadeja’s conscientious 112 and Sharma’s authoritative 133 extinguished the initial hopes of three for 33. It was highly appropriate that Jadeja be named the player of the match during this sentimental homecoming. Mark Wood and Ben Foakes were the final victims as this extraordinary all-rounder followed a century with a five-wicket haul, a feat that occurred twice in his career.
Selection Dilemmas Ahead of Ranchi Test
The schedule is rapidly approaching the start of the fourth Test in Ranchi on Friday. As a result of having barely had the opportunity to recover between innings and being positively overwhelmed thereafter, Anderson and Wood will be the main topics of discussion for Stokes and Brendon McCullum regarding their selection. However, a change higher up the order may also be under consideration.
Although Foakes may raise an eyebrow, it appears increasingly unlikely that Bairstow, who has only faced five balls in this match, will join his captain in the 100-cap club on this tour, despite the fact that loyalty has guided a significant portion of their approach.
To reach that milestone, the Yorkshireman must play in the fifth Test at Dharamshala.
Sentiment ought to be set aside. Bairstow’s career struggles in India are more pertinent; he was often stranded at the crease and was dismissed for 102 runs on five occasions, all bowled or caught behind. The spare bat, Dan Lawrence, provides an additional option with the bat. And if the nets during lunch, where Lawrence was practising his whirligig during breaks, are any indication, it is likely that they are already considering it.
Root has now bowled 107 overs during his tour, which is 44 more than his previous series high. England must undoubtedly reduce his workload. The notion of a player being merely unprepared has been superseded by the binary lens of Bazball; however, Root’s daily soreness and preoccupation with thoughts of two disciplines seem more pertinent.
At the start of the sombre evening session, Root trudged towards the middle, where 18 for two was not an unfamiliar situation. They did not expect England to be contemplating how to bring out the batsman who used to turn around such situations, given the inexperienced spin attack and Stokes’ inability to bowl prior to this tour.
