India vs England 2016: 5th Test - 5 talking points
In a match heading towards a tame draw, a sparkling spell from Ravindra Jadeja enabled India to break the England line-up into two. As if that were not enough, he pulled off a spectacular catch to dismiss India's nemesis, Jonny Bairstow, and cleaned up their tail to finish with a seven-wicket haul. India won the Test by an innings and 75 runs in the at the end of Day 5 at Chepauk.
Jadeja had come into the game well after Karun Nair and Lokesh Rahul had set-up a winning lead. A late declaration from Kohli, that could have gone the wrong way had India not won the Test, left England approximately 95 overs to survive. However, they were found out by Jadeja on a friendly batting surface.
The horrors of spin continued to torment England even on a surface where they themselves put on a good first innings score of 477. If they cannot survive spin on a pitch like the one laid out at Chepauk, there is little to take away for them from the series.
They have had their positives and a 4-0 scoreline probably does not do just to the efforts of their batsmen, in particular, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow. They have had a couple of young openers impressing in the series but their bowlers have been pathetic and they have paid the price for that.
Here are the talking points from the final Test at Chennai:
#5 England's workhorse, Moeen Ali
Moeen Ali is quickly turning into England's go-to man for any situation. If they want a breakthrough with the ball, Ali is the man to go to, or a replacement batsman at no. 4 for Ben Duckett, Ali can do the job. They need an opening partner for Cook. Why not try Moeen Ali?
The utility player is being utilitised everywhere by England and he has batted at all positions from 1-9 in his career. After learning the doosra from Saeed Ajmal, the spinner unleashed it in a Test match but soon stopped bowling the same to avoid being called up for a suspect action.
But does he need it? He is easily England's first choice spinner given his ability with the bat. The 146 in the first innings he helped England to 477, a fighting total on a good batting wicket. He then proceeded to bowl 41 overs in India's first innings. He contributed even more as he came out to rescue England from a precarious position with a score of 44 from 97 balls. His workhorse nature is quickly making him Cook's go-to-man.