Ashwin combines well with Virat to win match and series for India

Mumbai: The spin web of R Ashwin mesmerised England as India defeated England by an inning and 36 runs in the 4th cricket test match and snatching the five-match series by 3-0.

Resuming at 182 for 6, England lost its remaining four wickets in its 2nd inning in a dramatic manner adding just 13 runs on the last day of the match played at Wankhede stadium here on Monday. With one Test match of the series still to go, India has already won the series in an emphatic manner.

After denting the England bowling attack by a masterly 235 by skipper Virat Kohli, the Indian spinner Ashwin exposed the visitors' batting by returning with a match- figure of 12 for 167. Contrary to the expectations, England failed to offer any resistance in the 2nd outing and lost the match comprehensively despite posting 400 in the first inning.

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Virat Kohli, one of the architects of the India's crushing victory, was adjudged 'man of the match'.

It must have been a forgettable day for England as India took just 8 overs to wrap up its innings with all four wickets were claimed by rampaging Ashwin who gave away just eight runs to wipe out the tail. Such was the supremacy of Indian spinners in the match that out fo 20 England wickets which fell in the match, 19 went to spinners. It included all ten wickets in the 1^st inning.

The Indian dominance in the match was complete except two sessions of the 1^st day when debutant Jennings really flayed the bowlers to score century. Thereafter, it was India all the way as Virat, ably supported by other two centurions Murali Vijay and later Jayant Yadav who is fast emerging as the potent all rounder along with Ashwin.

Virat Kohli, as Ravi Shashtri put it, has truly emerged as perhaps the best batsman in the world at the moment with three double tons and over 1000 runs in the calendar year 2016. He, in fact, is 134 runs behind the record series aggregate of 774 runs of Sunil Gavaskar which he achieved in his debute series in West Indies in 1971. Kohli has so far scored 640 runs in the current series with one match to go.

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Ashwin, playing his 43^rd Test Match, had 24^th five-wicket haul taking his tally to 247 with high strike rate of 5.7 wickets per Test match. With Test match batting average of over 34, Ashwin has already established himself as a dependable bowling all rounder and promising to be among the all-time bowling greats of the game in a low-profile and silent manner.

In the 2^nd England outing none of its batsmen except root and Bairstow , the half centurions, could stand up to the onslaught of Indian spinners and it was rather an abject surrender which caused it the inning defeat. The indifferent form and inconsistency of England skipper Alistair Cook cost the visitors match and series more than any other factor.

In contrast, the consistency of Virat, Pujara and Vijay, Jayant and Ashiwn in batting and almost all spinners in the bowling helped India coming out with flying colours in the match and the series. This was despite the fact that India was struggling with injury problems of the players form very start of the series. Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Saha, Ishant Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Shami all ruled out due to injury could not deter India to maintain its forward march.

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Brief Scores

England 1^st inning 400 ( Jennings 112, Buttler 76,Moen Ali 50, Ashiwn 6 for 122, Jadeja 4 for 109)

India 1^st inning 631 ( Virat Kohli 235, M. Vijay 136 ,Jayant Yadav 104, Rashid 4 for 192, M Ali 2 for 174)

England 2^nd inning 195 ( Root 77, Bairstow 51, Ashiwn 6 for 55, Jadeja 2 for 63)

India won by an inning and 36 runs. Leads the five-match series 3-0.

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