India thrashes England by an innings and 75 runs in 5th Test

Ravindra Jadeja claimed seven wickets as India thrashed England by an innings and 75 runs in the fifth and final Test in Chennai on Tuesday to win the series 4-0.

The left-arm spinner ended with career-best figures of 7-48 to skittle out England for 207 in their second innings in the final session of play as the tourists were unable to hold on for a draw.

England, who rode on an 103-run opening stand between Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings, lost six of their batsmen for 15 runs in the evening to capitulate against an inspired Indian attack.“We got ourselves into a good position at lunch but we weren’t good enough to bat the rest of the innings out,” a despondent Cook said afterwards.

“Credit to (India captain) Virat (Kohli). They’ve outplayed us. It’s hard to say as a professional but they’ve been better.“It’s a tough dressing room to be in. We tried our best but it wasn’t good enough,” he added.

Jennings, who scored a debut century in the fourth Test in Mumbai, top-scored with 54 as England’s batting order crumbled under the pressure of having to play out the day to save the match.

The Indian players, who also defeated England with an innings to spare in Mumbai, erupted in celebration after Jadeja got No. 11 Jake Ball for nought to finish a memorable series.

Not only did India avenge their 2012 series loss to England at home but the hosts also won their first contest against Cook’s side since 2011.

“I’m very, very proud. We were up against big totals and we ended up winning by an innings in both games. That’s



something that doesn’t happen often in Test cricket,” said Kohli.

Jadeja spun into action just after the lunch break to send the openers packing and he continued to wreak havoc on what seemed a flat pitch at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium.

India’s premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin surprisingly went wicketless but ended as the series’ highest wicket-taker with 28 scalps, above Jadeja (26).England’s leading batsmen in Cook (49), Joe Root (6) and Ben Stokes (23) failed to hold on as they fell to the guile of Jadeja’s left-arm spin.

Indian batsman Karun Nair had put India on course to victory with his scintillating triple century on Monday.

Nair’s unbeaten 303 saw the hosts declare their first innings on a record 759-7 — their highest-ever Test total — to amass a 282-run lead.

Nair, 25, was playing in just the third Test match of his career. He recorded his maiden century in the morning session before expertly converting it into a double and then a triple in the eveninHe became only the third batsman to convert a maiden Test hundred into a triple century, joining the elite company of West Indies’ Garry Sobers (365 not out) and Australia’s Bob Simpson.

Kohli ended the series as the highest run getter with 655, including a double century of 235, his Test best, in Mumbai.Cook’s side started the series with a draw in Rajkot but lost four games on the trot.

England now head home for a Christmas break before returning for a limited-overs series. The first of three one-day internationals is scheduled for Jan. 15 in Pune.