In just three days, the final test match at Dharamshala ended. Despite intending to bat first on Saturday morning, England seemed to have missed that opportunity. By choosing to bat in the second innings of the fifth test of the series, England has made it clear that they will continue to play aggressive cricket regardless of the outcome. Meanwhile, there’s a deadlock in the battle between bat and ball on Indian soil.
England’s coach, Brendan McCullum, faced defeat in the first test series after taking on the role. India emerged victorious in Dharamshala with an innings victory and 64 runs. Apart from the first match of the series, England couldn’t secure a win in any other match. It’s evident that England is struggling to play aggressive cricket on Indian soil.
However, there haven’t been any changes in the performance of Ben Stokes. Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav have indicated that even good batters suffer when facing aggressive cricket. Joe Root is a prime example; although he attempted a reverse sweep in the third match and scored a century in the fourth, it didn’t lead to India’s victory. Winning a series on Indian soil becomes challenging with a single batter’s performance.
Ashwin took 5 wickets in England’s second innings. He has taken 5 wickets in an innings 36 times in Test matches, the highest among Indian bowlers, surpassing Anil Kumble’s record of 35 times. In addition to this achievement, Ashwin became the fourth bowler to take 5 wickets in an innings in his 100th Test match after Muralitharan, Warne, and Kumble.
After England replied with 218 runs in the first innings, India all outed for 477 runs. England started their second innings 259 runs behind, and they faltered at 195 runs. Ravichandran Ashwin’s performance in contributing to England’s innings defeat holds significance as he played his 100th Test match.
