England suffered a resounding and disheartening defeat within three days against India, concluding their tour on a dismal note with a total score of 195.
In his 100th Test, Ravichandran Ashwin claimed five wickets for 77 runs, leading India to an innings and 64-run victory. The series had already been won by India, but the 4-1 scoreline underscores a serious setback for the Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum regime, despite their occasional competitive performances.
This defeat extends England’s poor run in both red and white-ball cricket, having not won a Test series in 15 months. While there’s no immediate threat to Stokes or McCullum’s positions, pressure mounts on white-ball coach Matthew Mott and captain Jos Buttler as they defend England’s Twenty20 World Cup title in June.
The third day brought a moment of celebration for England as Jimmy Anderson became the first seamer in Test history to reach 700 wickets, a remarkable achievement at the age of 41.
