Jadeja in seventh heaven as India rout England to wrap up 4-0 series win
England’s miserable tour of India ended on an inglorious note as a final-day batting collapse in Chennai saw the tourists beaten by an innings and 75 runs to increase the pressure on skipper Alastair Cook.
With the series already beyond them heading into the fifth and last Test, England looked likely to avoid a fourth defeat in succession when Cook – whose position as captain is the subject of increasing debate – and opening partner Keaton Jennings batted through the morning session on day five.
However, Ravindra Jadeja then took centre stage with career-best figures of 7-48 and Cook’s men crumbled from 103 without loss and 192-4 to 207 all out, their slide evoking memories of the dramatic conclusion to their Test series in Bangladesh prior to this tour.
India, who had seized control when Karun Nair’s stunning innings of 303 not out helped them to a record score of 759-7 declared in reply to England’s first-innings 477, therefore wrapped up an emphatic 4-0 series win.
Tuesday began with England 270 behind on 12 without loss and there was an early scare for Cook as he was dropped on four by wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel off Ravichandran Ashwin.
India were unable to make a breakthrough prior to lunch, though, the only other close call coming when Rahul could not react quickly enough after Jennings, on 31, had flicked an Amit Mishra delivery to short-leg.
Cook and Jennings, in only his second Test, took their partnership into three figures before Jadeja dramatically turned the tide.
The left-arm spinner dismissed Cook (49) for the sixth time in the series, thanks to a catch by Rahul at leg slip, and also accounted for Jennings, caught and bowled for 54.
Jadeja soon struck again to have Joe Root lbw on review for six and England were 129-4 when the all-rounder took a fine catch over his shoulder at deep midwicket to give Ishant Sharma the wicket of Jonny Bairstow. That ensured both Root and Bairstow fell narrowly short of breaking Michael Vaughan’s England record for the most runs in a calendar year.
The wickets of @root66 and @jbairstow21 ensures that @MichaelVaughan keeps the record for most Test runs in a year for England! #howzstat pic.twitter.com/Sa0szZBIC9
— ICC (@ICC) December 20, 2016
Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes steadied the ship either side of tea, before the former departed to an ugly shot – heaving Jadeja to mid-on.
There was a fifth scalp for Jadeja when Stokes also chipped the ball aerially on the leg side and a glorious Mishra googly accounted for Liam Dawson before Umesh Yadav removed Adil Rashid with the new ball.
England were on the brink when Jadeja struck yet again to have Stuart Broad caught at short-leg.
And, fittingly, it was the same bowler who brought the match to an end as he ousted Jake Ball to finish with 10 wickets in the match.
It now remains to be seen whether England’s defeat will spell the end of Cook’s tenure at the helm of the Test team.
