India vs England 2016: 4th Test - 5 talking points
A quick finish on Day 5 in Mumbai saw India take the Test series 3-0. Ending Day 3 on 182/6, India were expected to wrap up the game today, but no one expected it to end so soon as Ashwin took yet another five-wicket haul in an innings and ten-wicket haul in a match.
The off-spinner had the rigid Bairstow undone by the carrom ball in the 3rd over of the day and cleaned up Woakes in his next over. He got an early Christmas gift when Rashid hoisted him straight to deep midwicket and Anderson gave him his share of the gift too in his next over as Ashwin finished with 6/55.
England became the first team to lose after posting 400 in the first innings at the Wankhede. A lot of credit goes to Virat Kohli and Jayant Yadav, who took India to a position of strength with a sublime partnership.
A victory by an innings and 36 runs puts England's first innings total to shame and it has to be said that their poor bowling completely outdid the work done by their batsmen.
Here are the talking points from the 4th Test at Mumbai.
#5 India find able backup for Ashwin
India now have a backup option to Ashwin and a threat to Jadeja in matches outside the sub-continent in the form of Haryana’s Jayant Yadav. Such has been the all-rounder’s introduction to Test cricket that there is no longer a debate about Amit Mishra being sidelined.
Yadav was impressive in the third Test and ruthless here in Mumbai as he plundered his maiden Test hundred to go with his fine spell with the red cherry in hand. Although he did not get any wickets in the first innings as Ashwin and Jadeja completed 10 between them, he contributed a vital 104 with the bat and ably supported his skipper in a fighting partnership that took India to a dominating position.
In the second innings, he got the vital wicket of Joe Root, who was looking dangerous on 77 and virtually put an end to England's resistance. The breakthrough was all Ashwin needed to run through the lower order.