England opened the final day of the fifth test match on Tuesday at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, with 10 wickets intact, but collapsed inexplicably in the final session of play. They lost six wickets for 40 runs in the post-tea session to plunge to a humiliating innings and 75-run loss to India. Ravindra Jadeja took 7/48, a Test career-best, as the visitors collapsed in the final session. India have won the five-match series 4–0. India's comfortable victory made even easier by poor performances from England cricketers with bat and ball.
The first Test in Rajkot had ended in a draw but that was the most success England enjoyed. At tea on Tuesday, England was comfortably placed at 167-4 and heading for a draw to end the series with a modicum of satisfaction. England then collapsed, bowled out for 207 runs in the span of 24 overs since.
Jadeja had taken 3/38 before Tea, and he continued his fine form thereafter, picking up four more wickets for 10 runs. His previous best was 6/138 against South Africa in Durban in 2013. This was Jadeja’s first 10 -wicket haul in Test cricket, as he picked 3/106 in the first innings, returning a total 10/154.
Moeen Ali had advanced to an untroubled 44 when he played an extravagant mistimed heave and was caught at mid-on by a leaping Ravichandran Ashwin. Ali had been given a life in the 70th over, when he was dropped at short-leg off Jadeja.
Then, Ben Stokes (23) was caught at midwicket off Jadeja again, the left-arm spinner picking his first five-wicket haul since his 5/73 against New Zealand in Kanpur this past September. Stokes and Ali had added 63 runs for the fifth wicket, and thereafter it all fell apart as England lost their last six wickets for 15 runs.
Amit Mishra (1/30) bowled Liam Dawson (0) with a googly, and then Umesh Yadav (1/36) had Adil Rashid (2) caught at point by Jadeja. Jos Buttler (6 not out) and Stuart Broad (1) resisted for a while but Jadeja returned to pick up the last two wickets. Broad was caught at Short-leg, and then Jake Ball (0) was snapped up by Karun Nair to bring the curtains down on the series. England went from 103-0 to 207-all-out, losing 10 wickets for 104 runs.
Karun Nair cracks triple century
Karun Nair on Monday became only the second Indian batsman to score a triple century in a Test match, when he achieved the distinction on the fourth day. He joined Virender Sehwag, who has the distinction of reaching the landmark twice.
Nair, who plays for Karnataka in the domestic circuit, is only playing his third Test, having made his debut against England in the third Test of this series in Mohali. He represents Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League.
Nair's milestone came at the same place where Sehwag scored an amazing 319 against South Africa. The Delhi Dasher also has a triple century against Pakistan.
Karun's knock included 32 fours and four sixes. At the time of India's declaration, he remained unbeaten on 303 runs. Before this knock in Chennai, Nair had failed to make an impact in the series.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan and several cricketing personalities hailed Karun Nair's landmark innings. "Congratulations on the historic triple century @karun126! We all are delighted & proud of your remarkable feat," Modi tweeted.
