Ashwin's Masterclass Decimates England: India Clinch Series 4-1

With a loud yell, Kuldeep Yadav pounded his fists and burst into wild celebrations. Joe Root's wrist spinner lost control of his emotions as his heave fell into the long-on fielder's clutches.

In this series, he had been outstanding, his releases more swift and deadly. As befitted, he added the finishing touch during the spectacular occasion.

However, the festivities had begun well in advance of lunchtime. "Ashwin will get you if Bumrah doesn't; Kuldeep will get you if Jadeja doesn't.” All morning, the Barmy Army, positioned in the adjacent enclosure, had been drawn in by the boisterous chants of the spontaneous rhyme from the people gathered in the grand stand of the main pavilion.

The English trumpeter fell into line and began playing a Bollywood song, much to the joy of the crowd, as India turned their 3-1 lead into a 4-1 lead at the HPCA Stadium on Saturday, virtually at the stroke of tea on Day III.

The triumph in the first Test match in Hyderabad appears to be a long time ago. Since then, the visitors have declined and have not at all been motivating. Their massive caravan of travelling supporters found little incentive to sustain their enthusiasm as their team played bland cricket.

Ben Stokes' disgusted reaction when Ashwin got past his defense, showing that he was playing for a turn that wasn't there, accurately reflected England's predicament on this tour, with the last Test culminating in a defeat of an innings and 64 runs.

With seven scores of less than 15, an average of 7.6 in the second innings, and 199 runs in 10 innings, Stokes was a sitting duck against the spinners, particularly Ashwin, who has now removed him 13 times in his career.

With 259 needed to force India to bat once more, they had to exercise restraint and care, which helped the spinners. Ashwin, who was bowling with the new ball, broke the backbone of their batting with his 36th five-wicket haul, surpassing Anil Kumble, and disrupting their innings along with player of the match Kuldeep (2/40). In the game, the off-spinner had nine wickets for 128.

Ben Duckett's charge down the wicket in the second over was defended by Stokes as "trying to get the close-in fielders out" or "trying to put pressure back on Ashwin." However, such indiscretion against skilful spinners has shown to be suicidal.

Kuldeep proved to be the ideal counterbalance to Ashwin, who was brilliant and took three wickets in his opening eight overs before things went south. England relied on Stokes and Root to carry the match into a fourth day. However, Stokes, who was playing the spinners from inside the crease, was enticed to rush forward to a slider by Ashwin's flawless delivery.

Head coach Rahul Dravid stated, "It takes a special person to do what Ashwin has done, to play 100 Test matches." "Jad­eja and Ashwin are both unquestionable game legends—500 wickets in 100 Test matches, and sometimes he can't play abroad. We don't get wickets when we travel overseas that let us use more than one spinner.

Even Rohit Sharma was overjoyed. "Every bowler gave a response. With the ball in possession, they sought to change things," the skipper remarked.

Kuldeep was specifically mentioned by Dravid. To be honest, Kuldeep has had a difficult time. He's bowling during a period when legendary players are acting as spinners, according to Dravid. Since making his debut in red-ball cricket here in 2017, he hasn't played much of it. It's been so amazing to see him enter this series and perform like he has. Also, Kuldeep's bowling ability has practically pushed us to play him.

Ashwin is rewarded for his grasp of the game, his evaluation of each batter, and his meticulous planning of every series before it begins. And he's always searching for new tools to add to his arsenal—the sign of a true champion.

It makes sense that, with 26 scalps, he finished as the highest wicket-taker. The next best at 19 was Jasprit Bumrah, who took the lead because to Rohit's tight back. Though Kuldeep and Ravindra Jadeja also claimed 19 wickets, Ashwin was the one who completely destroyed Bazball. Knowing full well that he had done the most harm to Bazball's reputation, the off-spinner took the match ball and went off the field, pointing it in the direction of the Barmy Army.

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