England crumble in Chennai

20 Dec 2016 | Cricket
England lost their last six wickets for 15 runs as they crumbled in the fifth Test to succumb by an innings and 75 runs and hand India a 4-0 series triumph.

Starting the day on 12-0, England lost their first wicket with 103 on the board and had been 192-5 before the final instalment arrived. They collapsed to 207 all out to lose their second successive Test by an innings.

Keaton Jennings top scored with 54 and Alastair Cook made 49 yet another collapse rubber-stamped it as a series to forget and hand India revenge for their defeat by the same scoreline in 2011 on British soil. 

Starting the day on 12-0, Cook had a let off when he was dropped by Parthiv Patel off the bowling of Ravi Ashwin. The wicketkeeper rather snatched at the chance, though the deviation off Cook’s edge was sizeable.

Another edge, this time off the shoulder of the bat, fell safe on the legside before Cook deposited a short ball from Umesh Yadav over mid-wicket to the fence. Jennings repeated the dose later in the over.

Both batters were keen to sweep, Cook getting Ravindra Jadeja away for a boundary and Jennings employing the reverse to swat Ashwin to the fence. He then drilled Amit Mishra to KL Rahul at short leg, the fielder failing to cling on as the ball pinged around his body.

Cook enjoyed a bonus five runs as a quick single to Mishra at mid on saw his throw take a big bounce off the turf to deceive Patel and Kohli and fly to the fence. By the time lunch arrived England were 97-0.

Both openers would fall in quick succession after the interval. Cook perished on 49, clipping a wide Jadeja delivery to Rahul at leg slip. Jennings would reach a second Test 50, then chipped a return catch to the left armer to depart for 54.

Joe Root came out needing 11 runs to break Michael Vaughan’s record for Test runs in a calendar year by an English batsman but fell five short, given out LBW on review to Jadeja. England, all of a sudden, were 126-3.

Jonny Bairstow also had designs on Vaughan’s mark but fell to a stunning catch in the deep from Jadeja. The spinner charged back to apprehend a lofted leg clip from Bairstow and take the ball over his shoulder.

Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes saw England to tea but a decisive collapse followed after. Moeen came down the track to Jadeja for a big shot but failed to clear Ashwin at mid on and went for 44. Stokes joined him two overs later as he clipped a gripper from Jadeja straight to Karun Nair at mid-wicket to hand the bowler his fifth scalp of the innings.

By the time Liam Dawson was bowled by Mishra for 0, England had lost three wickets for five runs. Adil Rashid was the next to go, a leading edge flying to that man Jadeja at point off Umesh Yadav.

Fittingly, Jadeja wrapped proceedings with his sixth and seventh wickets. Stuart Broad gloved to Cheteshwar Pujara at leg slip before Jake Ball prodded at a turner and found Karun Nair. It handed Jadeja his maiden 10-fer in Test cricket and his best figures to boot.