Kohli hails India’s comeback
Ahmedabad, India - India wrapped up a convincing innings victory to seal a 3-1 series result and a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, after England collapsed against spin for the final time on tour. Although Washington Sundar was left high and dry four runs short of a maiden Test hundred, Axar Patel hounded the visitors for his fourth five-for of an immensely impressive debut series to help confirm the inevitable midway through the evening session on day three.
India will meet New Zealand in the WTC final, which is scheduled between June 18 and 22, at a yet-to-be-named venue in England - the ICC is expected to make the final call soon.
Sundar had batted impressively in the slipstream of Rishabh Pant on the second day to revive India from trouble at 146 for six, and he seemed destined to become a Test centurion at the age of 21, only to run out of partners in anticlimactic fashion as the last three wickets fell for no runs in five balls.
Although England's openers managed to survive a three-over spell before the lunch break, India soon took the game by the throat. Six wickets tumbled during an afternoon session in which England skittered and scraped to 65 for six, and only a doughty fifty from Dan Lawrence prevented India from putting their feet up much earlier.
England once again paid a heavy price for underperforming with the bat in conditions that were far less demanding than those encountered in the second and third Tests. Sundar, batting at No 8 in only his fourth Test, emphasised the gulf. There was barely a false shot as he went about compiling a four-hour innings that looked set to end
Ahmedabad, India - After the latest emphatic innings and 25-run victory, India captain Virat Kohli hailed the way his side came back from a game down to dominate the series and book their place in the World Test Championship final against New Zealand.
"The comeback in Chennai (the 2nd Test) pleased me the most. The first game was an aberration and England outplayed us," Kohli said.
"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."
England captain Joe Root with his bat raised to the cavernous Motera stands; even without the garland, his 96 was a higher score than any England batsman barring Root managed in the entire series.
His efforts extended India's lead from 89 overnight to a daunting 160, and it soon became clear that England did not have the stomach for one last fight. R Ashwin scalped two wickets in his opening over and four of the top five were dismissed in single figures as panic admitted his side, who suffered a two-day humiliation in the third Test, had been 'outplayed' again.
"There are a few key areas of the games where India managed to grab them and we didn't," he said.
Kohli praised Rohit Sharma for his 161 which proved deciset in once again. Lawrence provided a glimmer as England attempted to at least make India bat again, but he was last man out after notching a second Test fifty, as Ashwin completed a five-wicket haul of his own.
Overall, Ashwin and Patel claimed 59 wickets between them, at averages of 14.71 and 10.59 respectively, as English uncertainties on even vaguely spin-friendly surfaces were ruthlessly exploited.
The first 90 minutes of play sive in the second Test in Chennai and R Ashwin, who he described as India's 'most bankable player over the years'.
India coach Ravi Shastri singled out Rishabh Pant's performance with the bat and behind the wickets as 'magnificent'. "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," said Shastri.
"Yesterday's innings was the best counter-attacking innings I have seen in India. He built a partnership with Rohit playing against his nature - to do that is not easy." had been conspicuously lacking in drama, as Sundar and Patel calmly extended their eighth-wicket stand to 106. Both made Test-best scores against a toiling England attack but, with Sundar's milestone almost in touching distance, the innings suddenly imploded.