3 positives for India from the Test series against England
India wrapped up their remarkable Test season with a convincing innings win against Joe Root's England in the fourth and final Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
With the victory, Virat Kohli's side clinched the series 3-1 and booked their place in the final of the World Test Championship. The series win was Kohli's 13th on the trot in India - he has never been beaten at home as captain.
Ravichandran Ashwin was adjudged the Man of the Series for his 32 wickets and 189 runs, while a number of other players stepped up whenever called upon. Here are 3 positives for India from the Test series against England.
#3 Rishabh Pant seals the wicket-keeper's slot
Rishabh Pant came into this series against England high on confidence and form after having engineered a famous win Down Under. The 23-year-old made the most of his purple patch as he scored 270 runs to finish as his team's second-highest run-getter and third overall.
Although Pant won the Man of the Match award in the 4th Test for his sizzling hundred, the standout feature of his performance in the series was his keeping. His skills behind the stumps showed marked improvements, both against the spinners and the pacers.
Pant has undoubtedly sealed his place in the Indian Test team as first-choice keeper, and he'll now set his eyes on doing the same in the limited-overs formats as well.
#2 Rohit Sharma stands a cut above the rest
India's limited-overs vice-captain had a stop-start Test career for quite a while, but just like the white-ball formats, a move to the top of the order has brought about incredible changes.
Rohit Sharma finished the series as India's leading run-scorer with 345 runs at an average of 57.5, and added further weight to his otherworldly numbers at home. Decisive with his sweeps, solid in defence and calm at the crease, the opener chipped in with crucial knocks in almost every innings.
Rohit's daddy hundred in the 2nd Test on a difficult track in Chennai was the catalyst behind the country's comeback in the series, and captain Virat Kohli acknowledged the same in the post-series presentation.
The 33-year-old executed a flawless gameplan perfectly, and his role in India's win was arguably as important as those of Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel.
#1 Different players step up at different times for India
Although India were carried in the bowling department by spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel, a number of players stepped up when they needed to.
Ishant Sharma provided an early breakthrough and scored some crucial runs in his 100th Test, while Mohammed Siraj was mightily impressive in the two matches he played. Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav didn't have much bowling to do, but when they were tossed the ball, they picked up the odd wicket or two.
Even in the batting department, Sundar produced a match-changing unbeaten 96 in the 4th Test. Rishabh Pant counter-attacked to perfection in the 2nd and 4th Tests, while captain Virat Kohli notched up a couple of classy fifties.
Different players stepped up at different times for India - a true hallmark of a world-class side. The absence of Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami was hardly felt as the team's bench strength made itself known. Kohli and the management will take immense heart from the fact that they have dependability and depth in their team.