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England LOSE the fifth Test to India by an innings and 64 runs on day three after another batting collapse, despite Joe Root’s knock of 84 – as Ben Stokes’ side are thumped 4-1 in the series

  • Ben Stokes’ side collapsed on Day Three of their final Test match against India  
  • Ravichandran Ashwin took five wickets in the second innings to help seal the win
  • It means England will return home having now lost the Test series 4-1  

England crashed to a comprehensive and humiliating defeat within three days here today to end their tour of India on the lowest possible note as they were bundled out for 195.

Ravichandran Ashwin, in his 100th Test, took five for 77 as England were defeated by an innings and 64 runs to not even be able to muster a reasonable contest for the thousands of supporters who had made their way to this most scenic part of India for a ‘bucket-list’ Test.

The series had already been won by India before this final game but a 4-1 scoreline now erases any possible doubts that this represents a serious setback for the Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum regime, however well England have contested at times.

It also extends a miserable run in both red and white-ball cricket that goes against the feel-good factor of so much of England’s cricket over the last few years.

They have not won a Test series since 15 months ago in Pakistan – drawing in New Zealand and against Australia in the Ashes last summer – while the limited-overs side crashed out of the World Cup at the qualifying stages also in India late last year before then losing both 50-over and T20 series against West Indies in the Caribbean.

England crashed to a comprehensive and humiliating defeat within three days to end their tour of India

England crashed to a comprehensive and humiliating defeat within three days to end their tour of India

Ravichandran Ashwin, in his 100th Test, took five for 77 as England were defeated by an innings and 64 runs

Ravichandran Ashwin, in his 100th Test, took five for 77 as England were defeated by an innings and 64 runs

Jonny Bairstow was desperate to make an impact in his 100th Test and for a while again looked as though he might just pull off something special, but was dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav

Jonny Bairstow was desperate to make an impact in his 100th Test and for a while again looked as though he might just pull off something special, but was dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav

There is no suggestion that either Stokes or McCullum’s jobs should in any way be under threat now and they have certainly achieved a lot since Rob Key brought them together and they began their attempt to transform not just English but world Test cricket.

But white-ball coach Matthew Mott and captain Jos Buttler will certainly be under pressure when they defend England’s Twenty20 World Cup title in the Caribbean in June and England have to accept that, for all the entertainment they have provided, cricket at the highest level remains very much a results-driven game.

The third day started in the best possible way for England when Jimmy Anderson became the first seamer in Test history to reach the remarkable total of 700 wickets.

Anderson had Kuldeep Yadav pushing outside off-stump and seeing his edge taken by the safe hands of Ben Foakes to give those travelling supporters at least a piece of genuine Test history to cheer.

It really is an amazing feat by Anderson, who is now only eight wickets behind Shane Warne in second place in the all-time wicket-takers’ table and still appears fit enough and certainly good enough to go on, at 41, for some time yet.

An achievement, too, that it is difficult to see any other fast bowler coming anywhere near, particularly with cricket’s changing landscape making it near impossible for any young seamer to play anything like enough Test cricket to take so many wickets.

England captain Stokes raised the prospect of Anderson maybe even going on until the next Ashes in 18 months time when he said before this Test that ‘I just can’t see Jimmy stopping.’ That remains a long way away but after climbing this particular mountain in the foothills of the Himalayas nothing seems impossible for Anderson.

There was a landmark for a bowler at the other end of the experience scale immediately afterwards when Shoaib Bashir completed his second five-wicket haul in only his third Test, and whatever else has happened on this tour, the selection of the 20-year-old with only six first-class appearances behind him before this series has proved inspired.

There is no suggestion that either Stokes or McCullum’s jobs should in any way be under threat now and they have certainly achieved a lot since they were appointed

There is no suggestion that either Stokes or McCullum’s jobs should in any way be under threat now and they have certainly achieved a lot since they were appointed 

There was a nice moment earlier on Day Three as James Anderson picked up his 700th Test wicket

There was a nice moment earlier on Day Three as James Anderson picked up his 700th Test wicket 

Anderson took Kuldeep Yadav's wicket to claim the milestone, having taken two wickets in the match

Anderson took Kuldeep Yadav’s wicket to claim the milestone, having taken two wickets in the match

 

There was a nice moment as Anderson, with India finally all out for 477, tried to encourage Bashir to walk off ahead of him as England fans acclaimed the pair but in the end they left together, the veteran and the rookie united by satisfaction at a job well done.

Sadly, that was as good as the day and this final Test got for England. The big question was whether they would have the discipline and desire, 259 runs behind, to guts it out and make India work hard for their fourth win of the series. The answer was no.

Ben Duckett has said he would rather get out to an attacking shot than a defensive one and he was true to his word for the second time in this match.

But, really, it was brainless from Duckett to dance down the wicket to Ravichandran Ashwin in the second over of the innings to be comprehensively bowled.

Zak Crawley, England’s most consistent batsman in this series, surprisingly went to the other end of the scale and tried to defend but it was an un-Bazball like policy that just did not suit him. He eventually fell to Ashwin for a 16-ball duck.

Ollie Pope has had the most curious of series from the extreme high of a monumental 196 in the first Test victory in Hyderabad – how long ago that seems now – to seemingly never looking like making a substantial innings ever since.

England opener Zak Crawley was dismissed for a duck after having scored 79 in the first innings

England opener Zak Crawley was dismissed for a duck after having scored 79 in the first innings

Ashwin (pictured) dismissed all three of England's opening batsment, bowling Ben Duckett for two

Ashwin (pictured) dismissed all three of England’s opening batsment, bowling Ben Duckett for two

He also sent Ollie Pope walking back to the pavillion after the Surrey batter scored 19 in a frenetic display at the crease

He also sent Ollie Pope walking back to the pavillion after the Surrey batter scored 19 in a frenetic display at the crease

Pope was frenetic again here and could easily have been out twice before he fell to an all too loose slog sweep, again with Ashwin the bowler, and the vice-captain has much to ponder as he returns home with questions still to answer about his Test class.

Jonny Bairstow was desperate to make an impact in his 100th Test and for a while again looked as though he might just pull off something special and enable England to at least go down with all guns blazing.

But after hitting Ashwin for three sixes Bairstow was perhaps unlucky to fall to the tightest of lbws in Kuldeep Yadav’s first over. Bairstow reviewed, as he had when falling to Yadav in the first innings, but Rod Tucker’s decision was upheld on umpire’s call with the ball shown to just about be hitting the top of the stumps.

It was a decision that could easily have gone the other way but the sad fact is Bairstow has fallen between 25 and 39 seven times during this series which is a shocking waste of so many starts. He will go home with a question mark over his Test future.

Stokes has had a miserable time with the bat in India ever since his first Test 70 and it was no surprise when he again fell to spin, again on the stroke of lunch, and again defending. This time it was Ashwin’s arm ball that defeated him and the master India off-spinner has now taken the England captain’s wicket 13 times in Test cricket.

Root was the pick of England's batters, bringing up a score of 84 but it was perhaps too little too late for England

Root was the pick of England’s batters, bringing up a score of 84 but it was perhaps too little too late for England

Stokes has had a miserable time with the bat in India ever since his first Test 70 and it was no surprise when he again fell to spin

Stokes has had a miserable time with the bat in India ever since his first Test 70 and it was no surprise when he again fell to spin

Ben Foakes is another who needed runs to be confident of featuring against West Indies and Sri Lanka this summer

Ben Foakes is another who needed runs to be confident of featuring against West Indies and Sri Lanka this summer

The series had already been won by India before this final game but a 4-1 scoreline now erases any possible doubts that this represents a serious setback for Stokes and McCullum

The series had already been won by India before this final game but a 4-1 scoreline now erases any possible doubts that this represents a serious setback for Stokes and McCullum

Ben Foakes is another who needed runs to be confident of featuring against West Indies and Sri Lanka this summer, however good his keeping has been here, but sadly he was not able to rise to the challenge and was bowled sweeping by Ashwin.

It took the return of Jasprit Bumrah to break the dominance of spin and the resistance of Tom Hartley, who was trapped lbw to end a stand of 28 with Joe Root, and in the same over Mark Wood fell to a vicious in-swinging yorker.

Just three England batsmen have made centuries on this tour and when Root reached 50 he became the first of the three to add another half-century, which says everything about the batting woes that have lost England this series.

Bashir showed promise with bat as well as ball again to hold India up in company with Root but after a stand of 48 with Root he was bowled by Yadav and even asked for a review before he left, thinking he had been given out caught behind.

It was all over when Root holed out for 84 10 minutes before tea with the grim reality that this tour has been as big a challenge for England as so many previous teams here. India are unbeaten now in 18 home series and England have much to contemplate.

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