Xtra Time Web Desk: Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel picked up five wickets each as India thrashed England by an innings and 25 runs in fourth Test at Narendra Modi Stadium to win the series 3-1. The win also guarantees India a place in the final of the World Test Championship at Lords in June.
It was a commendable performance from Virat Kohli and his boys after going down 0-1 in the series at the start. Rishabh Pant (101) and Washington Sundar (96 not out) set up the huge win for India after the hosts had bowled the visitors out for 205 in their first innings. Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel picked up five-wicket hauls in the second innings to help India bundle England out for 135.
India started Day 3 at 294 for seven, and Axar Patel along with Sundar continued to score freely in the first hour on Saturday.The duo put on 106 runs for the eighth wicket before a mix-up in the middle ended Axar’s stay. He was run out on 43.
Washington Sundar once again ran out of partners as he was not out on 96. India lost last three wickets off five deliveries, thanks to Ben Stokes who picked Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Siraj inside four deliveries to bowl India out for 365.
Stokes was the pick of the bowlers for England as he returned with figures of four for 89.
Batting second after a deficit of 160 runs, England batsmen once again struggle against the spin of Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel. Both of them picked five wickets apiece as England were bowled out for 135 runs in the second innings.
Both teams will now shift their focus to the shortest format of the game as they will play five Twenty20 Internationals at the same venue, starting March 12.