India vs England 2021, 4th Test – Who Said What

The dream of bagging a spot in the World Test Championship finale has turned out to be a surreal reality for the Indian team. India won the fourth and final Test match of the series by an innings and 25 runs at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. After being pushed down 0-1 in the series during the beginning, the hosts bounced in utmost style to seal the series 3-1. England posted a total of 205 runs in the first innings, which was highlighted by Ben Stokes’ innings of 55 runs.

Rishabh Pant bagged the player of the match award for his classy batting and outstanding gloves work. Ravi Ashwin won the player of the series award for clinching 32 wickets in the series and smashing a ton in Chennai. Patel continued his dreamy run in the game and scalped four wickets under his belt in the first innings. India stumbled during the start of their batting show, but Pant walked in and shouldered responsibilities too maturely to bring India in a commanding position.

Spinners shine for India

Pant’s stunning century (101) accompanied by Washington Sundar’s unbeaten knock of 96 runs shifted momentum on India as they posted 365 runs on the board. Ben Stokes grabbed four wickets under his belt. The sheer class by Patel and Ravi Ashwin, wherein they bagged a fifer each, led to England’s collapse in no time in the second innings.

Winning Skipper, Virat Kohli said-

The comeback in Chennai pleased me the most. The first game was an aberration and England outplayed us. The toss played a crucial role and the bowlers weren’t in the context. We bowled and fielded with more intensity and so the comeback was very heartening. Our bench strength is extremely strong and that’s a good sign for Indian cricket. When the transition happens, the standards won’t fall and Rishabh and Washy’s partnership showed exactly that in a crucial juncture of the match. We had to pick up our body language after the first game in Chennai. Every team in international cricket is a quality side and we need to work hard to beat them, even at home. Keeping that intensity going is most important and is the hallmark of our team. Rohit’s knock was the defining moment in Chennai, and Ashwin has been our most bankable player over the years so they have been our best players this series. Now we can accept that the WTC final, which was a distraction in New Zealand in 2020, but now it’s a reality.

Losing skipper, Joe Root said-

The first game was a positive. We haven’t matched India in the last three, and we need to keep learning and keep getting better for this experience and this series, and we need to keep evolving and move forward. There are some key areas where India grabbed the game and we didn’t. Washington and Rishabh played extremely well at a time when we had a good hold on the game. We also didn’t score runs the way we would have liked, and India outplayed us. Best of luck to them in the final. These were the first two Tests here, and I’m sure there are going to be some great Tests here later, and there was no history here, but hopefully we can get better in future in these conditions. It’s really important that we have to look after our players in terms of resting them, and we can’t keep playing them until they fall over. We need to look after them and rotate them as necessary. It’s been a good series, enjoyed the hospitality and loved being here for the series.

Player of the match, Rishabh Pant said-

 I think the drills have helped, and my confidence has helped, transferring it from my batting to my keeping. This was a very important innings, especially with the team under pressure. We were in a tough situation at 146-6, and there’s nothing better than performing when the team needs you the most. If I get the chance to reverse-flick a fast bowler again, I definitely would.

Player of the series, Ravi Ashwin  said-

The fact that we qualified for the WTC final is very important. The intensity was low after Chennai, despite the high in Australia. Every time there was a challenging time in the series, someone put their hand up, so this series win was right up there. The last four months have been quite a ride. I didn’t think I’d make a hundred in Chennai, I went with the flow because my form with the bat wasn’t great.  I didn’t think I’d start in the XI in Australia, but after all the injuries, especially to Jadeja, there was more responsibility on me and I’m content with my performances in Australia and here. Being desperate is bad, being content is bad, but it’s important for me to be happy, and I’ve stayed on my feet, and worked out batsmen and I’m happy it has worked out well for me.  If you put a board on what Rishabh has gone through in the last year, it’s been a little unfair being compared to legends, and the way he’s come out of it and kept in this series has been excellent. Axar is someone who came into replace Jaddu. He deserved all the praise and he was very accurate for someone playing his first series.

India head coach, Ravi Shastri said-

 It’s a great feeling to win the series. It’s satisfying to see the youngsters perform in tough situations. The way Pant and Washi played… pressure was on us but from there to get to 360 was incredible. The boys just took one series at a time. Never thought of the Test championship. Things got changed when we were top of the table and when we were not playing. The first Test in Chennai could have been different with a bit more rest. Boys were like zombies, they were tired and there was no crowd to cheer them on. Who will complain about tracks like these. The groundsmen have done a fantastic job. The scoreline of 3-1 doesn’t reflect how close the series was. It’s like our series in England we lost 1-4. England had their moments and if they grabbed those we could have had a different result. Six months in the bubble, seeing the same faces… The bubble will burst (smiles). It’s tough for professional players when you are not doing well.. it’s really tough being the bubble. It was a team work, not one individual calling the shots. We’ve given opportunities for youngsters and they have grabbed those and delivered. They have been in a corner but they have fought from there. This side refuses to give up. We were irrepressible in Australia and we are the same here too. The support staff have put in hours and hours of work to get the best out of the boys and more importantly to have them in the right frame of mind, Our main thing was to show empathy to the players because these are tough times. Pant has been simply magnificent. We were hard on him. Nothing comes easy. He was told in no uncertain terms that he has got to respect the game a little more. He’s got to lose a bit of weight and work hard on his keeping. We know the talent he has and he has responded. He has worked like hell for the last few months and the results are here to see. Yesterday’s innings was the best counterattacking innings I have seen in India. It was a two phase innings. He built a partnership with Rohit playing against his nature – to do that is not easy – and to turn it on after 50. Keeping has been magnificent and Washi was outstanding too.