India have been a dominant side in the Test series against England, winning the last three Test matches. As a result, they have clinched the five-match Test series, with the fifth match being a dead rubber in Chennai.
Coming to the Mumbai Test, India looked solid in all departments of the game, with batsmen and bowlers shining to hand Virat Kohli's team a huge win by an innings and 36 runs. Kohli scored a double ton, which played an important role in India's win in the fourth Test, while Murali Vijay and Jayant Yadav also contributed a century each. On the bowling front, R Ashwin scalped 12 wickets.
Congratulate Virat Kohli, India's Incredible Captain
Here is a look at five things we learned from the fourth Test
Virat Kohli and his intent of playing the ball on the green carpet
The India captain was at his amazing best in the fourth Test, scoring his third double ton of the year. Kohli scored 235 runs, and one of the best aspects of his game was his desire of playing the ball on the floor. When Kohli plays Test cricket, he does not take many risks, and hardly plays any aerial shots. Playing the ball in the air gives the opposition a chance to dismiss a batsman, and he does not want to give away his wicket easily. Kohli, en route to his double hundred, hit 25 fours. He hit one solitary six, which came in the latter part of the innings when the batsmen were in search of quick runs.
India's lower order strengthened by Jayant Yadav
There have been instances in the series when the lower order has contributed with the bat, with Ravichandran Ashwin being the main contributor with some decent scores. During the fourth Test, when India were in desperate need for one of their tailenders to form a solid partnership, Jayant Yadav raised his hand and played like a proper batsman, giving Kohli the confidence to get past the England total, and take a massive lead. Jayant scored his maiden ton, which will be remembered for a long time as he also became the first Indian to score a ton while batting at number nine.
Keaton Jennings – ton in debut Test
The left-hander might have been dismissed for a golden duck in the second innings, but it was his century in the first innings, which bagged headlines on the opening day. The left-hander showed that he belongs to the league of top cricketers, playing India seamers and spinners with equal ease. It was his start, which paved the way for England's good total of 400 runs in the first innings. He looked comfortable on the backfoot as well as the frontfoot, and showed that he possesses all kinds of shots in his book. Jennings has got off to a great start in his Test career. He has to be consistent from now on.
England and their failure against turning ball
England looked a good team in the first innings of the Test match, scoring 400 runs. Their batsmen were set to be tested in the second innings on Day 4 and 5, where the pitch would assist the Indian spinners, and they failed big time. R Ashwin turned on the game for India with some incredible bowling, taking six wickets in the second innings. They were not able to cope with his rich trajectory, helping him scalp 12 wickets in the Test to win the series for India. Out of the 20 England wickets, 19 fell to India spinners, which explains the scenario.
India's opening woes continue
Though India might have clinched the Test series, India's opening pair has been a problem in the series. With regular opener Shikhar Dhawan ruled out with injury, India used different opening combinations, but none of them gave a great start in the series. Murali Vijay, who has been a constant opener in the series, opened with KL Rahul in the fourth Test match, and they only added 39 runs for the first wicket partnership. India's best opening wicket stand has been 68 runs in the first Test, when Vijay opened alongside Gautam Gambhir. All eyes will be on openers in the fifth Test, hoping that they get their first 100-run stand in the series.
