Right then! Virat Kohli lifts the trophy and India take the series 3-1 and have booked a place to face New Zealand in the WTC final to played in June, 2021. England, on the other hand, have been outplayed and they will look to come back stronger in their next series. Tests are done now and it is time for the limited-over series. First up is the T20Is which will be played in Ahmedabad. The first one is on 12th March 2021 at 1900 local (1330 GMT). Do join us for that. Until then, cheers and take care.
Virat Kohli, the INDIAN SKIPPER, says the comeback after the loss in the first Test pleased him the most, England outplayed them in the first game, the toss became very crucial in the first Test but from the next game onwards it became more interesting and the comeback pleased him the most. States their bench strength is very strong and that is a great sign for Indian cricket, they want the youngsters to play fearless cricket and that is what they are doing, especially Axar, Pant and Sundar. Adds they are happy they are winning so many series but they need to keep learning, they can't take things lightly and always have to be at their best. Adds Ashwin has been a banker for them and his performance speaks, Rohit's knock was the defining moment of them coming back into the series and it is one of his best knocks which gave them the momentum which they needed to get back into the series. Ends by saying the WTC was more of a distraction so far for them but now they are in the finals and he is happy about it.
Ravichandran Ashwin, the MAN OF THE SERIES, says that the fact that they have qualified for the WTC final is pleasing and after they lost the first Test, the intensity was low but they have come back well. Adds that the players stood up and they have had a good series win. Tells that the last four months have been very good for him and he was not in good form with the bat but in Chennai, the moment arrived and he scored a century. Says that the kind of confidence the team management gave in him was motivating and he did not expect him to play in Australia but Kohli and Shastri saw something in him and he says that this is the best month that he has had in his career. Tells that being content is not the greatest but being happy is very important for him and he goes back every day trying to be happy. Says that Rishabh has been amazing and he could not be more happier for him and he has been compared to legends already. Goes onto say that the way he has kept in this series is outstanding. Mentions that Axar is someone who came in Jaddu's position and he bowled extremely well and he deserves every bit of praise.
Rishabh Pant, the MAN OF THE MATCH, says he feels the hardwork he has put in is paying off and that has also given him confidence. Mentions his batting performance has given him the confidence to keep well. States his knock was important as they were in a tough situation when he came out to bat and he is happy about his performance. Adds he has always wanted to enjoy while playing and that is what is in his mind all the time.
Joe Root, the England skipper, says that the first positive was the first Test but they could not match India in the rest. Adds that they will continue to learn and believes that they will become a better side from this experience. States that India managed to take home the advantage at crucial times and the partnership between Sundar and Pant was magnificent. States that India outplayed them and wishes India best of luck for the final. Goes onto say that Ahmedabad has a brilliant stadium and it has been a good experience. Says that they can look for excuses but the rotation policy is not going to go away and they cannot be playing guys until they fall over and they look at what's next as well and they want to look after their players. Mentions that it has been a very good series and they have been looked at well.
Ravi Shastri is up now for a chat. He says that when youngsters are coming through the ranks, it is pleasing to see. Adds that what Pant and Sundar did was amazing and they have worked really hard to get to the top of the table. Says that the boys just took one series at a time and they were not bothered about the WTC final. Says that they deserved to be in the final. Goes onto say that the first Test in Chennai would have been different had they got more rest but does not take the credit away from England as they outplayed them. Says that the groundsman in Ahmedabad is an amazing curator and the scoreline does not show how close this series was. Tells that he is waiting to get out of the bubble and it is time for the bubble to burst. Goes onto say that the players' first prayer is to get out of the bubble. Goes onto say that it is tough to stay in a bubble and these guys have been magnificent. Tells that the most important thing is teamwork and there is no single individual and it is 6-7 players performing at a time. States that they have been on top, they have been in trouble but they fought from there and not just in Australia but here as well. Adds the support staff have put in hours of work and it is very easy to be hard on the boys but empathy has to be shown especially in the times they live in. Goes onto say that Pant is a genuine match-winner and has worked very hard and the results are here to see. Mentions that he was fearless especially in the first innings as he played against his nature as he built his innings and that confidence rubbed off on Sundar. Adds that his keeping was superb.
Washington Sundar comes up now. He says that he is very happy to win the series and he is very happy to contribute. States that he is not disappointed on missing out on a hundred and his time will come later on. States that if the team could succeed because of his performance, that makes him happy. Says that the pitch was very good to bat on and it was doing something on Day 2 but they all felt that the wicket was good overall and it was also a challenging wicket.
Axar Patel is up for a chat. He says that he could do this after the confidence he got in the first game that he played. Adds that when he and Ashwin were bowling, his plan was to vary the speed and he bowled with the same speed in the last two Test matches. Goes onto say that when he came back to the dressing room, he did not get time to talk to Washington Sundar after India's innings but will have a chat with him now.
The visitors then bowled well and did keep themselves in the game but the Indian lower order, Pant, Sundar and Axar added more than 200 runs to put India in the driver's seat. Once a big lead was taken, it was always going to be difficult for England to get back in the game and they ended up surrendering quite easily. Stay tuned for the presentation ceremony.
England, on the other hand, should have done better not only in this innings but in this Test. They won the toss again and elected to bat but did so poorly. They should have scored a lot more than 205 on a wicket which was not that bad to bat on. However, no batter showed application and the willingness to grind it out in the middle. It was a combined effort from the Indian bowlers to restrict England to a low score in the first innings.
Once again it was the two spinners who starred for the Indians! Ashwin and Axar bowled almost all of the overs India did in this innings and bagged 5 each and it just took them a little over one session to bowl this English side out. Brilliant bowling performance from the Indian spinners and they have hammered England in this series.
An emphatic win for for the Indians! England have just surrendered! Very poor display of batting once again from their side as they have let India inflict an innings defeat. With this win, India not only win the series 3-1 but also ensure their place in the finals of the WTC against New Zealand.
In over# 1
0W
0
1
0W
0
Ravichandran Ashwin 47/5(22.5)
54.5
W
OUT! TIMBER! Knocked him over and 30TH 5-five wicket haul for Ashwin! India win the match by an innings and 25 runs. Flighted ball around middle, Lawrence looks to swing it away but misses and the ball hits the timber behind. THEY TAKE THE SERIES 3-1. THEY QUALIFY FOR THE WTC FINAL.
54.4
.
Loopy ball down the leg side, Lawrence looks to flick but misses.
54.3
1
Flighted ball on middle, Anderson works it to the leg side for a single.
James Anderson is the last man in.
54.2
W
OUT! CAUGHT AT FIRST SLIP! Rahane has taken this one cleanly and Leach has to go! India just one wicket away from a 3-1 victory. Loopy ball on off, Leach looks to defend but it takes the outside edge and goes to Rahane. Rahane at first slip catches it and then calmly gives the ball to the square leg umpire. The two umpires want to be sure and take it upstairs. The soft signal is out. The replays roll in and they show that Rahane has taken it cleanly. The brief resistance from Leach is over.
54.1
.
BEATEN! Wow, that is some turn! Floated ball around off, it spins away. Leach looks to defend but misses.