India showed England no mercy as they wrapped up an innings victory in the fourth Test and a 3-1 series triumph behind another mesmerising display from Axar Patel.
Highlights | Scorecard | News
The relentless Indian spin cycle has left England a ragged shadow of the team that coasted to a 227-run win in the first Test, and it was fitting the series should end with Axar and Ravichandran Ashwin running amok, taking five wickets each at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera.
The third Test was a two-day shock to the tourists' senses, while England headed into day three of this latest match in Ahmedabad knowing it would take something special to stave off one final heavy beating.
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Test newcomer Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin have tortured the England batsmen in this series, and they were again the destroyers in a total of 135 all out, Axar with 5-48 and Ashwin taking 5-47 to nail down the win by an innings and 25 runs.
From 294-7 overnight in their first innings, leading by 89 runs, India scuppered English hopes of a quick burst through the tail as Washington Sundar and Axar led them to 365, at which point England finally took the three wickets they had been craving.
Here are the statistical highlights:
INDIA’S FOURTH BIGGEST WIN OVER ENGLAND
** India recorded their fourth-biggest win against England by winning the fourth and final
Test match by an innings and 25 runs at Ahmedabad on Saturday (March 6).
India’s an innings and 75 runs victory at Chennai in 2016-17 is their biggest over England
while an innings and 46 runs win at Leeds in 2002 is the biggest in England. An innings and 23
runs victory at Mumbai in 2016-17 is India's third-biggest over England.
** A comprehensive 3-1 series victory over England has confirmed India's spot in the final of
the inaugural World Test Championship, where they will meet New Zealand. The WTC final 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.
** The 106-run stand between Axar Patel and Washington Sundar was the fourth-best eighth-wicket stand for India against England. It was also fifth century stand for India against
England for this wicket position.
** Axar Patel’s 27 wickets at an average of 10.59 is the joint third most after three Test
matches. Narinder Hirwani’s 31 wickets at 13.93 is the most after three Tests, followed by 29
wickets at 8.55 by Australian Charlie Turner. Australian Rodney Hogg also claimed 27 wickets
at 11.00 in the first three Tests.
** Washington Sunder recorded his highest score in Tests by making an unbeaten 96 in 262
minutes off 174 balls with 10 fours and one six. His previous highest was 85 (not out) in the
first Test match of the series at Chennai.
** As many as 104 wickets at an average of 21.69 have fallen to spinners in the series - the
third-highest of all time in Tests. The most is 109 wickets at 26.78 in a five-Test series
between India and England in 1972-73 and 108 wickets at 36.92 in a five-Test series between
India and England in 2016-17.
** Ravichandran Ashwin took 32 wickets in the series and joins the great Sydney Barnes as the
the only bowler to twice take more than 30 wickets in a series of four matches or fewer.
Ravichandran Ashwin took 31 wickets in the four-Test series against South Africa in 2015-16.
INDIA’S BIGGEST WIN OVER ENGLAND (Read: Margin-Venue-Season):
An innings &75 runs - Chennai - 2016-17
An innings & 46 runs - Leeds - 2002
An innings & 36 runs - Mumbai - 2016-17
An innings & 25 runs - Ahmedabad - 2020-21
An innings & 22 runs - Chennai - 1992-93
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INDIA’S BIGGEST EIGHTH WICKET STANDS AGAINST ENGLAND (Read: Runs - Partners - Venue - Season - Result):
241 - Virat Kohli/Jayant Yadav - Mumbai - 2016-17 - India won
128 - Syed Kirmani/Ravi Shastri - Delhi - 1981-82 - Match drawn
128 - Mohammed Kaif/Anil Kumble - Nagpur - 2005-06 - Match drawn
106 - Axar Patel/Washington Sundar - Ahmedabad - 2020-21 - India won
101 - Farokh Engineer/Bapu Nadkarni - Chennai - 1961-62 - India won
MOST WICKETS AFTER THREE TESTS (Read: Bowler -Inngs - Balls - Runs - Wkts - AVG - S/R):
Narendra Hirwani (India) - 6 - 983 - 432 - 31 - 13.93 - 31.70
Charlie Turner (Australia) - 6 - 1071 - 248 - 29 - 8.55 - 36.93
Rodney Hogg (Australia) - 6 - 978 - 297 - 27 - 11.00 - 36.22
Axar Patel (India) - 6 - 766 - 286 - 27 - 10.59 - 28.37
Ajintha Mendis (Sri Lanka) - 6 - 979 - 478 - 26 - 18.38 - 37.65
