Powered by Ravindra Jadeja's fifer and Karun Nair's triple ton, Team India thrashed England by an innings and 75 runs in Chennai.
The emphatic win helped Virat Kohli and Co. complete a 4-0 series win over Alastair Cook's boys – the biggest ever series win against England, overshadowing the 3-0 whitewash under Mohammad Azharuddin's leadership in 1993.
Performance of each player during the course of the series
Virat Kohli: Rating 10: Verdict: Excellent
An undefeated streak as skipper for a calendar year isn’t a feat one achieves every day. But what makes Virat Kohli’s effort all the more special is how he has led from the front in almost all those wins. And it was no different against England. After a torrid time with the bat when India toured England in 2014, the home series was touted as a clash between Kohli and nemesis James Anderson. But Kohli passed the test with flying colours as he finished with 655 runs in the series at an astonishing average of 109.16. He hit a double century, a century and two fifties. And when it came to leading the side, his moves were perfectly timed. There wasn’t even one moment in the five-match series when he let the game drift away. If the year saw Kohli grow from strength to strength as a batsman and leader, the series against England was definitely an icing on the cake. He was an obvious choice for the Man of the Series award.
KL Rahul: Rating 6: Verdict: Above Average
Back in the Indian fold after an injury-induced break, Rahul started in horrendous fashion as he managed a duck and 10 in the second Test of the series in Vizag. Out once again thanks to an injury ahead of the third Test in Mohali, Rahul returned for the fourth Test in Mumbai. This time too, he flattered to deceive with an innings of 24 in the only innings that India batted. But all that changed in Chennai as he scored a brilliant 199. The knock bore testimony on why skipper Virat Kohli backs him to become one of the best Indian openers. It was unfortunate that he missed out on his maiden double, but it was a knock that will stay in the mind of cricket fans for some time to come. On the field, Rahul had a mixed bag of a series as he put down some chances, especially close-in, but also picked a few good catches in the in-field.
Murali Vijay: Rating 7: Verdict: Good
One of India’s best openers in recent times, Vijay definitely had a topsy-turvy series that had the perfect mix of highs and lows. After a slightly quiet series against New Zealand, Vijay started in aggressive fashion in Rajkot as he hit a brilliant century. But that followed a lean run in the next couple of matches, before Vijay hit another hundred in Mumbai. His 136 was definitely one of the highlights of a match that saw the Indians steamroll the Englishmen. An injury saw Vijay bat lower down the order in the fifth Test and just when he looked set for a big score, he was out for 29 against the run of play. On the field, he dropped a few chances but was great at times.
Cheteshwar Pujara: Rating: 9 Verdict: Very Good
Taking away the last game of the series in Chennai, it had to count as one of Pujara’s best series in international cricket. He finished as India’s second highest run-getter with 401 runs and while it is still too early to call him the Wall, he is definitely working his way towards it. Numbers don’t always give you the real picture and in this case too, the two hundreds and a fifty alone can’t be enough to describe his contribution coming in at the all-important No. 3 position. Pujara has been India’s go-to man in recent times and that has been evident in the way he has walked into the crease with confidence writ large on his face. On the field too, Pujara has given it his all, be it close-in or in some other position.
Karun Nair: Rating: 8 Verdict: Very Good
They say morning shows the day. But the old adage doesn’t hold if you are Karun Nair. Run out in his debut Test innings, Nair finished with an unbeaten triple hundred in the last game in Chennai. If he was impression-less in Mumbai, he more than made up for it in the last Test. The array of shots he displayed during his knock in Chepauk has class written all over them. No wonder that former India skipper Rahul Dravid had personally recommended his name to the Indian team management. Skipper Kohli wasn’t far behind either when he said that he hadn’t seen an Indian batsman sweep as well as Nair does. But fielding is definitely an area where he needs to work on as he missed a couple of chances which could have gone on to cost India.
Parthiv Patel: Rating: 8 Verdict: Very Good
Recalled to the national fold after a gap of 8 years, after regular wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha got injured, the task was cut out for Parthiv. But he made the most of the opportunity and will definitely raise a debate when the next Test team is picked for the one-off Test against Bangladesh. A fifty in Mohali and another one in Chennai — after keeping wickets for 158 overs — definitely earned him brownie points from skipper Kohli. And when it came to keeping wickets, even if he wasn’t as clean as Saha, Parthiv did a fairly decent job on the low and slow wickets which offered decent help to the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Ravichandran Ashwin: Rating 9.5: Verdict: Excellent
Purple patches aren’t just for batsmen and Ravichandran Ashwin is currently going through one himself. Be it with ball or bat, he is currently bringing on his A-game every time he enters the ground. Barring the wicketless spell in the last innings in Chennai and a duck in Mumbai, there wasn’t one moment when Ashwin failed to deliver. While he was a thorn in the English bowling line-up with his batting as India’s No. 6, the England batsmen had no clue when Ashwin had the ball in hand. Even though the pitches weren’t out and out turners, they caused no hindrance for Ashwin as he smiled his way to 28 wickets in the series. While Kohli was named Man of the Series, Ashwin was undoubtedly a close second.
Ravindra Jadeja: Rating: 8 Verdict: Very Good
Another all-round performer for India in the five-match series. Having failed to pick a single fifer right through the series, Jadeja reserved the best for the last. With the English batsmen threatening to draw the last game of the series with a dogged approach, it was Jadeja who picked seven wickets on the final day to derail the England innings. Not to forget his 90 in Mohali, which played an important role in India winning the game. He played the perfect second fiddle to R Ashwin and made Alastair Cook his bunny, picking the opposition skipper six times in the series. In all, Jadeja picked 26 wickets in the series and now sits pretty on the No. 2 spot in the ICC Test Rankings for bowlers.
Jayant Yadav: Rating: 9 Verdict: Very Good
Having travelled with the Indian team for some time now, Jayant Yadav looked ready for the grind when he made his debut in the second Test in Vizag. While he made important contributions with both bat and ball in Vizag and Mohali, the best was stored for Mumbai. Having failed to pick a wicket in the first innings, he more than made up when he came out to bat, with skipper Virat Kohli looking for a stable partner at the other end. The two added 241 for the ninth wicket as Jayant registered his maiden Test century, the first for an Indian No.9. He also picked the wicket of in-form Joe Root in the second innings. An unfortunate injury saw him sit out the last Test in Chennai. But 9 wickets and more than 200 runs in his debut series meant he had more than done his job.
Umesh Yadav: Rating: 5 Verdict: Average
Umesh Yadav finished with just 8 wickets in the 5-match series. And while the wickets weren’t really suited for the faster bowlers, he could have definitely done a better job, considering that he was handed the new ball on most occasions. His highest point would have to be dismissing Moeen Ali with a bouncer after the all-rounder had scored 146. Pitching it short, Umesh got the ball to rise and take the edge of Moeen’s bat as Jadeja completed a regulation catch. Adil Rashid’s wicket on the last day of the fifth Test was also a crucial breakthrough. Kohli took the new ball and turned to Umesh and the pacer delivered.
Ishant Sharma: Rating: 7 Verdict: Good
With Mohammed Shami out injured and Bhuvneshwar Kumar failing to grab the opportunity presented, Kohli finally turned to Ishant. While Ishant was the pace spearhead before the series against New Zealand, illness saw him lose his place in the team. But returning in Chennai, he once against showed why he is still one of the best in the country. He adjusted his length according to the conditions and was at his best with the new ball in the first innings.
Mohammed Shami: Rating: 8 Verdict: Good
A recurrent knee injury cut short his participation in the Test series, but Shami was the best pacer on display in the first 3 games of the series. Picking 10 wickets in three games on the placid wickets was no mean feat and his importance was felt once he was out injured and India tried the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma to fill in the void left by him. His strike-rate of 61.8 was even better than that of Ashwin’s 65.8.
Ajinkya Rahane: Rating: 3 Verdict: Poor
After a good showing in the last few series, India’s Test vice-captain suddenly looked out of sorts in this series. He managed just 63 runs in five innings at a meagre average of 12.60. The law of average catches up with the best of batsmen and one would like to believe that it was one such series for Rahane. A finger injury saw him miss the last two Test matches and it could well be the break that the Mumbai batsman needs going into the next set of Test matches.
Wriddhiman Saha: Rating: 4 Verdict: Below Average
Wriddhiman Saha has been a force to reckon with under Virat Kohli’s captaincy. Be it with the bat or behind the stumps, Saha has been immaculate. But sadly, the same can’t be said about this series. While Saha’s batting was reminiscent of his early days of struggle on the international circuit, his keeping too wasn’t on expected lines. He missed a couple of catches and failed to gather cleanly on a number of occasions. A side strain cut short Saha’s journey and Parthiv filled in well.
Gautam Gambhir: Rating: 2 Verdict: Poor
Replacing the injured KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan, Gambhir had raised hopes by hitting a quality 50 against New Zealand. But he failed to repeat the feat against England as the English bowlers dismissed him for just 29 and 0. The management was forced to recall Rahul as he had just scored runs for Karnataka in Ranji Trophy and that was the end of Gambhir’s journey in the series.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: Rating: 3 Verdict: Below Average
Replacing the injured Mohammed Shami in the fourth Test in Mumbai, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was expected to provide a couple of early breakthroughs before the spinners came into the action. But sadly, Bhuvi failed in the first innings. The slow nature of the wicket didn’t help either. In the second innings, Bhuvneshwar provided the all-important breakthrough as he sent first innings centurion Keaton Jennings back for a duck. But it wasn’t good enough to get him another game.
Amit Mishra: Rating: 2 Verdict: Poor
Picked for the first game in Rajkot, Amit Mishra failed to win skipper Virat Kohli’s confidence and as a result he was replaced by rookie Jayant Yadav. While Mishra warmed the bench, Jayant impressed. An untimely injury to Jayant saw Mishra return to the squad for the final Test in Chennai. But the time out of the team had dented Mishra’s confidence and he looked completely out of sorts in Chennai. His only ball that made people notice his presence was the googly he bowled to dismiss Liam Dawson. It landed just outside off and came in enough to take the top of off
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