India won the fifth and final Test in three days, clinching the series against England 3-1 even as doubts lingered over the buzz ball once again.
India maintained an aura of invincibility at home after registering a 4-1 win in the series against England on Saturday.
The ease of the final victory could mean the visitors' much-touted “buzz ball” approach will come under fresh scrutiny.
Rohit Sharma and his men clinched the series win in the fourth Test at Ranchi but did not take their foot off the pedal at Dharamshala, where they routed England within three days.
The win cements two-time finalists India's top spot in the World Test Championship rankings and will hold a special place in Ravichandran Ashwin's memory. It will be.
The Indian off-spinner took five wickets in the second innings to hasten England's collapse in his 100th Test match.
𝙒.𝙄.𝙉.𝙉.𝙀.𝙍.𝙎! 🏆
Congratulations #TeamIndia About winning @IDFCFIRSTBank #INDVENG Test series 4⃣-1⃣ 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/IK3TjdapYv
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 9, 2024
India wins 17th consecutive home Test series
Meanwhile, England seamer James Anderson became the first pace bowler to take 700 Test wickets, partially dispelling the gloom of England's traveling 'Barmy Army' fans.
India have now won 17 consecutive Test series at home and have not lost a series since Alastair Cook's England defeated them in 2012.
And they did it without batsman stalwart Virat Kohli, who missed the series due to personal reasons, and injured front seamer Mohammed Shami.
Batsman KL Rahul also missed the last four Tests due to injury, but his absence was not felt much thanks to India's formidable bench strength.
Of the five Indian players who made their Test debuts in the series, stumper Dhruv Jhuler, seamer Akash Deep, and batsmen Sarfaraz Khan and Devdutt Padikkal made an immediate impression.
“I've always really believed that India has incredible talent, a lot of young players, a lot of young players,” India head coach Rahul Dravid said.
“And it was a great opportunity for them to step up and show how good they are. And we saw exactly that throughout the series.”
Defeated at Dharamshala.
Congratulations @BCCI About the series win👏
Match Center: https://t.co/jRuoOIp988#INDVENG | #englandcricket pic.twitter.com/aJWlyhpFoB
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) March 9, 2024
Duckett's tragic dismissal
Under Stokes and head coach Brendon 'Buzz' McCullum, England have championed a flashy, if risky, brand of cricket centered around fearless batting.
The same approach that had largely worked in the home country seemed somewhat one-sided and even reckless.
Saturday's ejection of starting pitcher Ben Duckett showed the limits of that approach.
Having conceded a lead of 259 runs in the first innings, England were already at a huge disadvantage, and a cautious and safety-first batting approach would have been effective in avoiding defeat in the innings.
Instead, whether due to a lack of faith in his own defence, or an urge to impose himself early, Duckett lunged forward at Ashwin, only to miss the ball and lose his off-stump.
The opener was so far down the course that he would have been at a loss had he not been bowled.
In contrast, Joe Root, who scored 84 runs in England's meager second innings of 195, showed in India how touring batsmen can tone down their aggression and master spin.
However, Stokes supported the team's overall approach and was of the view that a good attack was the best defense against the crafty home spinners.
“When India are on top, especially when they have the ball, they get a lot of people around the bat and with their quality, [spin] The bowlers… we have to find a way to eliminate the close fielders,” the all-rounder explained.
“You have to be forward-thinking enough to take that risk and accept that it could lead to your undoing. If you have a good reason, you can raise your hand and accept it.”