Rampant Rishabh Pant, Lonely Joe Root: Five Talking Points from India vs England Test Series

India routed Joe Root’s team 3–1 in the fourth Test match being played in Ahmedabad on Saturday. India led the standings until November, when the Coronovirus epidemic caused a disruption in the points system due to the disruption brought to Australia to take the top spot. The new system, based on percentage rather than total points, left India with the daunting task of winning the Test series in Australia and making it to the home finals against England.

AFP Sport sees five talking points from the high-profile competition:

Too much to root

He batted, bowled and led by example, but England captain Joe Root was often left fighting a lonely battle against a motivated Indian side on a small field.

Root scored 218 runs in his 100th Test as England won the opening game. But the remaining matches were a struggle for the touring side.

Off-spinner Root also swung the ball to claim five wickets for his first wicket in the third Test of the day but England fell within two days. He topped the series batting chart with 368 runs but said: “I can get better”.

Spin test

After the collapse of England’s batting in the second Test in Chennai, the pitch debate dominated the series.

But it was a day-night game that saw former England cricketers Michael Vaughan and David Lloyd calling the Ahmedabad track “poor” as Indian spinners wreaked havoc to dismiss England at 112 and 81.

The England players refused to blame the pitch and were retained by better opposition, while India’s experienced off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who led the attack with 32 wickets, said no one blamed the pitch Is when all the wickets on green pitches are seamed. abroad.

Breathless Pant lead new heroes

Rishabh Pant left everyone gasping in awe when he fielded veteran pacer James Anderson, who scored 101 in the final Test, for a six at the match-winning slip in the final Test.

Wicketkeeper-batsman emerged as one of India’s new Test heroes along with all-rounder Washington Sundar, who scored 96 runs in a single innings, and left-arm spinner Axar Patel, who took four or more wickets in his first series Took wickets.

“Every player in the series as a whole contributed to every department, especially Pant, Sundar, Patel, Ashwin and Rohit Sharma,” said batting batsman Sachin Tendulkar with a rich depth of India’s talent.

Rohit sees Kohli faltering

Rohit Sharma welcomed the crowd to the Indian cricket ground with a fluent 161 in the second Test to lead his team’s comeback.

The opener drew and drifted with Allan as he hit 18 fours and two sixes and continued his good run in a low-scoring pink ball game with 66 and 25 not out.

Rohit Sharma, best known for his limited-overs feats, stood tall in a series for captain Virat Kohli, who fell twice without scoring.

Kohli said, “Rohit’s knock was the most decisive moment we faced.”

Moin exits, bubble bursts

The England team came out of the bio-secure “bubble” after Root had said many were skeptical in the second Test.

Top players including Jose Butler and Johnny Bairstow were given a break as the players were left out of the squad during the team’s six-Test sub-continent tour which included two Sri Lankan Tests.

Coach Chris Silverwood later apologized for the dirty way of departing, saying it was England’s decision. Moin contracted coronovirus when he landed in Sri Lanka, and played only one Test.

Promoted

It exposed the controversial, pre-planned rest of England during the pandemic, which was severely criticized as a homecoming, with Root never showing the strongest eleven players at his disposal.

But Root defended the policy. With England facing the possibility of playing 17 Tests under virus-ban by 2021, he said, “We cannot keep people playing until they fall.”