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India crushed England 4-1 in the recently concluded five-match Test series at home.
The visitors began the series on a positive note, winning the opening Test in Hyderabad by 28 runs. At that point, fans were gearing up for a close tussle, but it turned out to be an anti-climax, as England lost the next four Tests.
India made a strong comeback in Visakhapatnam to win by 106 runs and square the series 1-1. They then thumped the Englishmen by 434 runs in the third Test in Rajkot. England needed to win the fourth Test in Ranchi to keep their hopes of winning the series alive.
Instead, they succumbed to defeat by five wickets. The visitors proved no match to India in Dharamsala, suffering a huge loss by an innings and 64 runs.
While the eventual scoreline might suggest that the series was one-sided, there were some fabulous batting performances by players from both sides. We pick the top five knocks from the India vs England series:
#5 Ben Duckett (153)
England opener Ben Duckett looked in good touch right through the series but was guilty of not converting starts.
His best effort in the series came in Rajkot when he slammed 153 off 151 in true Bazball style. England were responding to India’s first innings total of 445, and Duckett’s hundred put them on course to get close to India’s total.
The left-handed batter hit 23 fours and two sixes in his entertaining knock before chipping a simple catch to cover off left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav. The rest of England's batters faltered as the visitors were bowled out for 319.
Despite the defeat, Duckett’s knock stood out as one of the few instances of Bazball making its presence felt.
#4 Ollie Pope (196)
Ollie Pope’s 196 in the opening Test in Hyderabad was undoubtedly the standout performance for the visitors in the tour, with regard to their batting.
After England conceded a significant first-innings lead of 190, Pope came up with a remarkable knock in the second innings, bringing England right back into the contest.
He slammed 21 fours in his 278-ball stay - his reverse sweeps being the standout feature of his innings.
India did not have any answer to Pope’s brilliance and ended up losing the Test after dominating the first half. Pope, though, failed in the other four Tests, not scoring a half-century. He registered ducks in both innings in Ranchi.
#3 Dhruv Jurel (90)
Playing in only his second Test, young Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel compiled a defiant 90 in the first innings in Ranchi. The knock came with the hosts having their backs to the wall. After England put up 353, batting first, on the back of a Joe Root hundred, India stumbled to 177-7.
An upbeat England looked set to take a big lead, with only Jurel and the tail to contend with. However, the young Jurel showed maturity beyond his experience and bailed India out of a highly tricky situation. He occupied the crease for 149 balls and stitched together crucial partnerships with Kuldeep and Akash Deep.
Thanks to Jurel, India restricted England’s first-innings lead to 46. The keeper-batter also scored 39* in the second innings, coming in with India in trouble. Had it not been for the 23-year-old, the series might have been 2-2 heading into Dharamsala.
#2 Rohit Sharma (131)
Indian captain Rohit Sharma led from the front in the third Test in Rajkot. Batting first after winning the toss, the hosts were in big trouble at 33-3, with Yashasvi Jaiswal (10), Shubman Gill (0) and Rajat Patidar (5) back in the hut.
Rohit had not done a lot with the bat in the first two Tests but stood up for the team at a crucial juncture. The Indian captain and Ravindra Jadeja (112) added 204 for the fourth wicket to put the hosts in a strong position.
Rohit struck 131 off 196, hitting 14 fours and three sixes. His batting exhibition was a smart mix of attack and defense. India ended up posting 445 and won the Test by 434 runs.
#1 Yashasvi Jaiswal (209)
After England took a significant 1-0 lead in the five-match series, India needed someone to deliver a counter-punch early in the second Test in Visakhapatnam.
Young opener Jaiswal took it upon himself to ensure that the visitors did not build on their momentum from the first Test.
The left-hander cracked 209 off 290 to single-handedly lift India to a competitive 396 after they had won the toss and batted first. Jaiswal struck 19 fours and seven sixes in his brilliant knock to give India a much-needed boost after the unexpected loss in Hyderabad.
The hosts went on to clinch the Visakhapatnam Test by 106 runs and never looked back. Jaiswal scored a double hundred in the next Test as well in Rajkot, ending the series with 712 runs at an average of 89 and was deservingly named the Player of the Series.
