England clinched a series win over India with one match to spare with a 60-run win in the fourth Test at Southampton on Sunday.
Set 245 for victory in the final innings, India were bowled out for 184 runs as the hosts took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
In a game which was the perfect advert for Test cricket, fortunes changed ends at the drop of a hat before finally nestling in England’s lap.
Here, we rate the 22 players across both sides at the end of an enthralling Test match.
ENGLAND
Alastair Cook – 4
The veteran opener’s poor form with the bat showed no signs of abetting with scores of 17 and 12 in his two innings.
Still no end in sight to Cook’s woes.
Keaton Jennings – 6
The England opener fell for a duck in the first innings but showed plenty of fight in the second with a gritty knock of 39.
Joe Root – 6
The England skipper could only muster four runs in the first go but his 48-run knock in the second was pivotal in the hosts’ win.
Jonny Bairstow – 3
It was a game to forget for Bairstow who played as a specialist batsman. He could only accumulate six runs in the two innings.
Moeen Ali – 9
The all-rounder scored an enterprising 40 in the first innings but he was England’s undeniable star with the ball with a nine-wicket haul.
Jos Buttler – 7
The wicketkeeper-batsman’s 69-run knock in the second innings pulled the hosts from the brink and set them on the path to victory.
Ben Stokes – 7
The star all-rounder chipped in with handy contributions with both bat and ball in each of the two innings at Southampton.
Sam Curran – 9
The youngster once again proved to be a thorn in the flesh for India with scores of 78 and 46 from the bat along with the vital wicket of Kohli in the first innings.
Curran’s stock continues to rise.
Adil Rashid – 4
Once again, the Yorkshire man was very much a spectator for the most part and bowled only 14 overs overall without any wickets to show for.
Stuart Broad – 7
The England pacer picked up three wickets in the first innings and then provided the hosts with the early breakthrough in the second.
James Anderson – 7
The England veteran went wicketless in the first innings but his two early wickets in the second gave the hosts the perfect platform to aim for a win.
INDIA
KL Rahul – 4
The India opener was unable to repeat his Trent Bridge display and fell cheaply in both innings.
Shikhar Dhawan – 5
The left-hander showed some gumption in both innings by getting off to starts but couldn’t push on for the big score.
Cheteshwar Pujara – 7
The top-order batsman’s masterful unbeaten ton in the first innings kept India in the hunt but was dismissed for just five in the second innings.
Virat Kohli – 7
The India skipper played vital hands in both innings as he went past 6, 000 Test runs overall and 500 in the series. Unfortunately, he was dismissed at the worst possible time in both of the innings.
Kohli went past 500 runs in the series.
Ajinkya Rahane – 6
The deputy India skipper was unable to make a difference in the first innings but notched up a hard-fought half-century in the second.
Hardik Pandya – 4
Just the one wicket and four runs to show for the India all-rounder in a disappointing display.
Rishabh Pant – 4
A harsh reality check for the young wicketkeeper who was dismissed for a 29-ball duck in the first innings.
Ravichandran Ashwin – 5
The India off-spinner picked up two wickets in the first innings but could only take one more in the second. His failure on a pitch where Moeen bagged nine wickets reflects poorly on him.
A forgettable display from India’s sole spinner.
Mohammed Shami – 7
The pacer bagged a six-wicket haul in the match and was generally a threat throughout.
Ishant Sharma – 7
Like Shami, Ishant too was a handful for the English batsmen in both innings with the pacer picking up two wickets in each of them.
Jasprit Bumrah – 6
The fast-bowler was menacing at times as shown by his first-innings display but did not create the impact he would have liked in the second.
