OTD| England crumbled in the face of spin in the final Test of their India tour. Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel each picked up 5 wickets in 2021

Last time when the English team toured India they had to face humiliation throughout the series after their memorable victory in Chennai in the first Test. India made a resounding comeback in the series after conceding a lead in Chennai. The last two Tests were played in Ahmedabad. Going into the fourth and last Test India already had a 2-1 lead but the series was not over yet. 

England hitchhiked to humiliation 

The last Test of the series was played on a spinning track that was alien and hostile to the English team. That track in Ahmedabad was the ultimate pitch for spinners where they did not have to put in a lot of effort as the surface was already doing a lot. As per the conventional wisdom, Joe Root decided to bat after winning the toss. Even a favourable toss could not give any respite to the English batting unit as they started to crumble very early in the first innings. Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin spun their web on a conducive track for spin as the English team got bundled out for 205 runs in the first innings. Axar picked up four wickets whereas his senior partner had three to his name. 

Well, the English team too took advantage of the spinning conditions in their bowling stint. They had early success as players like Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, and Cheteshwar Pujara were back in the pavilion before India could cross the 100-run mark. Rohit Sharma showed some resilience but his resolve was broken by Ben Stokes. Sharma’s departure reduced India to 5-121 and the situation worsened with another dismissal in the form of Ravi Ashwin. When the visitors thought they were in control, Rishabh Pant turned the tide in India’s favour with his aggressive approach. On a tough surface, he smashed a century off just 118 balls to guide India to 365 runs in the first innings, earning a massive lead for his team. 

Spinners share the spoils

The English team had to retreat from an advantageous position in the first innings due to Pant’s onslaught. Now, the momentum was once again in the Indian camp. England had a mammoth task as they had to neutralize the Indian lead and then post a challenging total to win the match. The Indian spinners made this task impossible by demolishing the English batting unit. 

England collapsed dramatically in the second innings and got bowled out for a low total of 135 runs. Dan Lawrence was the only English batter to score a half-century in the second innings. Ashwin and Axar once again dominated the proceedings with five wickets each. India comprehensively bagged the match by an innings and 25 runs to seal the series 3-1. 

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