India decimate 'Bazballers' England in Test series: Key takeaways
India thrashed England by an innings and 64 runs in the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala to clinch the series 4-1. The hosts indeed made a remarkable comeback after narrowly losing the opener. Meanwhile, this was England's maiden Test series defeat under skipper Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum. Here we look at the key takeaways from the series.
Jaiswal was the chief architect of India's success
Yashasvi Jaiswal's fiery batting at the top was the key to India's success. He gave the 'Bazballers' a taste of their own medicine by smoking two double-tons and three fifties. Having recorded 712 runs at 89, the southpaw received the Player-of-the-Series award. While he struck at 79.91, his tally of 26 sixes is now the highest for any batter in a bilateral Test series.
Rohit and Gill starred for India
India's other two top-order batters, skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill also performed exceptionally well, smoking 400 and 452 runs respectively. Both batters slammed two tons apiece. Notably, both Rohit and Gill had a quiet first few outings before they unleashed their best. The exceptional run of India's top three meant England struggled to take wickets with the new ball.
Fine show from debutants
India handed debuts to four batters in the series. While Rajat Patidar faltered, Sarfaraz Khan (200 runs at 50) and Dhruv Jurel (190 at 63.33) proved that they belong to the highest level. Jurel also seems to have cemented his place as India's top-choice Test keeper for a while. Devdutt Padikkal, who debuted in the final game, smoked 65 in his maiden Test outing.
Collective show from Indian bowlers
Four of India's bowlers claimed 18-plus wickets. This means the England batters could never breathe easy. While spinners Kuldeep Yadav (19 wickets at 20.15), R Ashwin (26 at 24.8), and Ravindra Jadeja (19 at 25.05) were at their best, Jasprit Bumrah (19 wickets at 16.89) had the best average in the series. Notably, Jadeja also did well with the bat (232 runs at 38.66).
India starred with a young brigade
Notably, India were without the services of several key players. While talismanic batter Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami missed the entirety of the series due to different reasons, KL Rahul was ruled out after the first match. Bumrah and Jadeja also missed one game apiece. However, the youngsters stood up under the leadership of Rohit.
England batters struggled to get going
While India's top-three batters scored over 400 runs, Zak Crawley (407 runs at 40.7) was the only Englishman to score over 350. After a match-winning 196 in the opener, Ollie Pope could not even touch the 40-run mark. Ben Duckett's 153 in Rajkot was his only 50-plus score in the series. Jonny Bairstow (238 runs) could not even touch the 40-run mark even once.
Veterans Stokes and Root also struggled to score big
Though Joe Root smoked a fifty and a ton in the last two games, he failed to touch the 30-run mark in the first three matches. Skipper Ben Stokes, who slammed a solitary fifty, failed to enter double digits on five occasions. Meanwhile, Ben Foakes (205 runs at 20.5) failed to smash a single fifty.
Forgettable series for England bowlers
While four of India's bowlers averaged under 26 in the series, no England bowler averaged fewer than 32 (minimum 2 wickets). Young spinners Tom Hartley (22 wickets at 36.13) and Shoaib Bashir (17 at 33.35) did get wickets but not often before the damage was done. While James Anderson claimed 10 wickets at 33.5, Mark Wood went wicket-less in three of his five outings.