Jadeja does the star turn in India’s remarkable win

A steady march and the free fall. That was the tale of the fifth and final Test which India seized from the jaws of a dreary draw.

Over four days, 1248 runs were scored and only 17 wickets fell. On the concluding day, 10 batsmen perished while cumulatively adding 195 with Ravindra Jadeja’s seven for 48 leaving England battered and bruised.

Jadeja’s best figures and a maiden match-haul of ten (10 for 154) ensured that the visitor was bowled out for 207 in its second innings. The game had rapidly changed and India won by an innings and 75 runs.

The usual tropes of a fifth-day tussle in the sub-continent were in place: Spinners weaving webs, chirruping close-in fielders and a vociferous crowd effectively becoming a collective 12th man.

The pitch, somnolent till Tuesday’s lunch, began to finally show signs of wear and tear. Just enough for India to sow the seeds of doubt within England at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.