India v England 5th Test, Day 5 - 5 Talking Points

At the start of the day’s play, the England wickets were all intact. Yet, little did they realize that India bowlers would be all over them like a rash. While the previous day was a case of the brilliance of youngster Karun Nair, the final day of the series was some brilliance from Ravindra Jadeja. Of course, Jadeja holds Chepauk quite close to his heart given the fact that he plied his trade with the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL a few months back.

Seven wickets to Jadeja’s name is not impressive. It is the stuff of dreams. His first ever seven-wicket haul eventually saw the Indians complete a 4-0 win against England, something that meant that the Britons see all their 10 wickets lost in a matter of a few hours. While there were indeed a few glum faces in the haven of the England dressing room, there was simply nothing they could have done as far as the Indians were concerned. An edge from Jake Ball and a fitting catch from Karun Nair and a scalp for Ravindra Jadeja eventually ensured that the encounter came to a close.

1. Cook and Jennings begin with solidity

Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings were perhaps England’s best batsmen on the day. Of course, there was Moeen Ali who impressed with some decent sweeping, but the fact of the matter remained that England’s left-handed openers eventually were the ones who managed to wait out their opposition on the day. Alastair Cook was denuded a half-century in Tests by a solitary run by a familiar foe in the form of Ravindra Jadeja.

Keaton Jennings then went on to become the only half-centurion for England in what was a terrible collapse. Jennings managed 54 before yet another seamless lapse in concentration eventually saw his wicket captured Jadeja himself. To add to a quick stat, if it did mean anything at all was the fact that Alastair Cook’s wicket was captured by Jadeja for the seventh time in the series.

2. Ravindra Jadeja strikes after lunch

If Day 4 belonged to Karun Nair, Day 5 had Ravindra Jadeja written all over it. It was not the fact that he was a one trick pony by only making the ball do the talking. It was the fact that he was being the same livewire in the field that he was. While there were a few instances of diving and throwing by the attack, a catch in the deep from the bowling of Umesh Yadav. This catch brought back memories of Kapil Dev’s running catch in the final of the 1983 World Cup.

While all this was the case before lunch, the post-lunch session eventually saw the Indians impress with some impressive bowling. Many bowlers get the ball to do the talking. Jadeja was not making the ball do the talking. He was making the ball speak. Seven for forty-eight were figures that impressed, but the prized scalps of Joe Root, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, and Alastair Cook clearly showcased the character of Jadeja.

3. England’s wickets fall in a hurry

While one can certainly state that Jadeja’s deliveries were certainly the talks of the town, some of the shots played by the England batsmen were simply horrific, to say the least. The dismissal of Moeen Ali, in particular, was one of the most irresponsible shots to have ever been played while one is saving the Test match. And that is putting it mildly.

Adil Rashid’s centuries in domestic cricket counted for very little as he fended a ball that took the outside edge. Alastair Cook’s dismissal was also something that saw him not take notice of KL Rahul present at backward slip finally ensured that he too lost his wicket. Trevor Bayliss had his head in his hands following the terrible performance.

4. Indian bowlers polish off the tail

The Indians bowlers aka Ravindra Jadeja’s army polished off the tail in quick succession of each wicket. What is also a feature of the Indian bowling attack was the Indian pacers make life difficult for the England batsmen as they bent their backs and clocked pace no one thought they would. They repeatedly troubled the England batsmen with some short-pitched bowling and also successfully created a rough for the spinners to begin operating on. Needless to say, the Indians are certainly proud of their achievements in the match.

5. Curtains brought down on the five-match series

The innings defeat for England sees them once again taking stock of their ever failing Test squad in recent times. However, the innings and 75-run win witnesses the Indians go on a non-losing streak as they now find themselves on an 18-match unbeaten streak. Moreover, this is the second encounter in a row that the Indians have completed an innings win in addition to the previous two encounters where they were successful in reinforcing their world number one spot in the official ICC Test rankings.