Post-mortem: Ashwin, Pandya and other Indian problems
- 1/10
Virat Kohli – the numero uno
Virat Kohli put behind his horrible previous tour of England with a stupendous performance in 2018. With over 500 runs already, he has been, by a distance, the best batsman in the series.
- 2/10
Sam Curran – the most impactful player
The 20-year old Sam Curran has played the two most crucial innings of the series. His 63 at Birmingham rescued England from a precarious 86-6 and helped them to 180. At Southampton, Curran again contributed a priceless 78 & 46. Truly the find of the series.
- 3/10
India’s potent pace attack
In their last 7 overseas Tests, India have bowled out the opposition 12 times. India’s pace attack of Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah is now giving the opposition a taste of their own medicine.
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- 4/10
India’s woes against spin
Traditionally considered the best batsmen against spin, the current Indian team now regularly struggles against tweakers. Among the current crop, only Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara have shown the finesse to counter the slower bowlers.
- 5/10
All-rounders leading the way for England
The surfeit of quality all-rounders has stood England in good stead. Sam Curran, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali have not only picked up wickets but also emerged as the mainstay of England’s batting in the face of the persistent failure of the top order.
- 6/10
Inconsistent Hardik
Barring his five-wicket haul and a fifty at the Trent Bridge, Hardik Pandya flattered to deceive. He didn’t chip in with the bat and turned out to be a mug with the ball too.
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- 7/10
Chasing troubles
The last time India chased down a target of over 100 runs outside Asia was way back in 2003-04 vs Australia at Adelaide. In this series, India failed to attain moderate targets set by England at Edgbaston and Southampton.
- 8/10
James Anderson – the master of swing
James Anderson is on the verge of eclipsing Glenn McGrath and becoming the highest wicket-taking pacer in Tests. He swings the ball both ways with military precision and control. No Indian batsman, barring Kohli, could negotiate him properly.
- 9/10
End of the road for Cook
Alastair Cook is in the midst of a horrendous run of form. In 2018, he has scored just one half-century in 9 Tests with an average under 20. He has announced fifth and final Test against India will be his last.
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- 10/10
Ineffective Ashwin
India’s frontline spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was outbowled by England’s part-time tweaker Moeen Ali. On a pitch with turn and bounce, Ashwin looked unfit and out of rhythm and, arguably, cost India what would have been a sensational Test win.
England defeated India by 60 runs in the 4th Test Southampton on Sunday and took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series. Here are the 10 key takeaways: