India v England 4th Test - England Player Ratings

So, after a couple of very disappointing losses to the Indians, the England decided to take a break, visit Dubai, enjoy a week off and come away energized and ready for the fourth test match. Did anything change? Well, it only got worse here! Winning the toss Alastair Cook might have calmed some nerves in the English camp, but what followed after didn’t.

A decent first innings total, thanks to debutant Keaton Jennings, meant that England were in the game until Virat Kohli decided to score more than half of what the visitors managed as a team. Jayant Yadav proved to be an able partner to the captain with his first century and after that, it was a Ravichandran Ashwin show all along with Jayant and Ravindra Jadeja chipping in the party.

A win here in Mumbai with an innings and 36 runs means that India win the series 3-0 with the last Test to be played in Chennai. The visitors were miserable and all over the place with their performances and here are the player ratings to back that up.

Alastair Cook – 3/10

If I say that the English skipper has, under performed to his standards, it would be a massive understatement. The last time England visited India and bettered the hosts it was Alastair Cook and the one-who-should-not-be-named managed to carve out big scores against the Indian spinners. The Mumbai Test is particularly remembered as the one where Cook & Co. showed their class with the bat countering the spin web of India.

However, this time around, Alastair Cook has failed his team with just one century in the 8 innings so far. Talk about falling off the grace! But then again, when the likes of Ashwin and Jadeja are in such a good form, there’s only so much you can do.

Keaton Jennings – 6/10

What a debut it was for the South African born English batsman! A massive hundred and a duck on debut. The 24-year-old has already touched the highs and lows of the business.

While Haseeb Hameed had been brilliant for the visitors in the last 3 Test matches, an unfortunate injury to him meant that the son of Ray Jennings had an opportunity to make his debut and..well.. we all know how the African born batsmen have performed for England over the years, right?

Joe Root – 5/10

Yes, the English no. 3 and “one of the best batsmen in the world” did manage a fighting half century in the second innings, but the fact, that has been established after the last 4 Test matches is that Virat Kohli is certainly “the best batsman” in the world ahead of Root.

While Root was better equipped in handling spin compared to his colleagues the Indian offies still managed to get the better of him in either innings. A big knock was needed from the right-hander, but he disappointed.

Moeen Ali – 4/10

A solitary half century and a duck with the bat, coming in at no.4 is not a good stat. Add to that, giving away 170 odd runs with just a couple of wickets to show for on a Mumbai pitch (where the Indian spinners dominated), is not a good stat at all!

Fair to say, England expected more from their most experienced spinner with the bat and the ball, but the left-hander was not good enough in this Test match.

Jonny Bairstow – 5/10

While the Indian spinners have been running havoc in the English batting lineup, Jonny Bairstow has looked sort of comfortable while handling spin well. The wicketkeeper-batsman was a rock behind the stump, despite tough conditions on offer and in front of the stumps, managed a fighting half century in the second innings to keep the Indian bowlers at bay for some time.

While, not his best outing, he was considerably better than his colleagues in applying himself at the crease.

Ben Stokes – 3/10

Probably the best seaming all-rounder in the world right now, and the most improved player in the world right now, but was definitely not good enough in this Test.

Talking about his batting, Ben Stokes has impressed with his improvement against spin, scoring runs in the last Test matches against quality spin, but he failed to deliver with the bat this time around. A lowly 30 in the first inning and the plan of trying to hit his way out of trouble in the second inning backfired miserably for the left-hander.

With not much reverse swing on offer with the ball, Stokes couldn’t do much with the red cherry either, having a forgettable Test match in the end.

Jos Buttler – 6/10

Clearly, with an attacking game like he has, Jos Buttler is an idle man to come in at no. 7. His ability to play with the tailenders and take the game away from the opposition was something he showcased in the first innings. Yes, he had a hard time against the spin trio, but Jos managed to defend his way out of trouble before notching up a crucial 76 in the first innings.

Chris Woakes – 2/10

A solitary wicket and 11 runs to show for Woakes, that’s all he managed in this Test match. But, to be fair to him, there was nothing much in this pitch for the faster bowlers. This begs the question as to why Cook didn’t go with another spinner in place of Woakes!

Adil Rashid – 5/10

Adil Rashid, the premier English spinner managed to pick up 4 Indian wickets. Yes, he did! But the fact that he had to bowl 55 overs and give away close to 200 runs meant that the host managed a massive total in the first innings. Still, the leggie toiled hard, bowled a few rippers, but it was his inconsistency that cost him in the end.

By the end of the Indian innings, he was definitely tried and skipper Cook certainly needs to make sure he doesn’t burn him out.

Jake Ball – 4/10

Jake Ball walked into the Test match as a replacement for Gareth Batty as Stuart Broad didn’t make the cut in time. He hung around in the first innings and had a crucial partnership with Jos Buttler scoring 31.

Bowling wise he bowled just 18 overs off the 183 that England bowled which is roughly the 10%. Ball who can just move the ball in had limited weapons in his armory to deliver on a wicket like that.

But he did get a wicket and a prized on of Cheteshwar Pujara early on the third morning but England couldn’t really make the best of it as Virat Kohli walked in after that and changed the course of the game.

James Anderson – 1/10

Oh dear! One of the worst and most forgettable Test matches for the England’s best, But, then again, with nothing on offer for the faster bowlers, there wasn’t anything he could have done anyway, right? Well, he did manage to create some controversy with his mouth on the 5th day alright, so there’s that!