A perfectly-crafted innings victory in the bag, India move into the fifth and final Test match of the series against England in supreme form and with the series done and dusted. The only thing likely to stop the home side from making it 4-0 is the weather, with the after-effects of Cyclone Vardah still being felt in Chennai.
If rain does not stop the match from going ahead – there is a good chance of play being disrupted at least, with practice for Wednesday already cancelled as the organisers look to get the MA Chidambaram Stadium ready for action, following the damage caused by the cyclone – then India will fancy their chances of closing the series with another win.
The Mumbai Test match proved to be a cracking one for the home team. The pitch was a great cricket wicket, with England getting the first chance to bat on the red-soil heavy track at the Wankhede Stadium and making a seemingly-strong score of 400, only for India to wipe them out with a stunning effort in their own first innings.
Virat Kohli was the tormentor-in-chief in that innings, striking a glorious double century, and the India captain will be the man that England know they need to get out, and get out quickly, if they are to make a game of it in Chennai.
Apart from Kohli, the biggest danger is R Ashwin, who will be keen to make an impact on his home ground. In the first couple of days, with the rain that has been around, there is bound to be a fair bit of moisture in the wicket, which means Ashwin will get turn, and as he showed in Mumbai, when there is turn, he becomes near unplayable.
England can only hope their tactic of mixing aggression with their defence works in Chennai, because if their batting fails to come to the party again, this Test match will go India's way. Alastair Cook needs to lead from the front with the bat, while Joe Root also has the responsibility to score big runs.
Root has played quite a few pretty knocks in this series so far – the 77 in the second innings in Mumbai being a case in point – but apart from the hundred in the first Test match in Rajkot, which ended in a draw, the England right-hander has not made enough of an impact on the scoreboard. Going big like Kohli did in Mumbai will be essential if England are to make a game of this.
5th Test: India vs England schedule.
Date: Friday, December 16 to Tuesday, December 20.
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Time: 9.30am IST, 4am GMT, 11pm (previous day) ET.
Session timings (all IST): First session: 9.30am to 11.30am. Lunch: 11.30am to 12.10pm. Second session: 12.10pm to 2.10pm. Tea: 2.10pm to 2.30pm. Third session: 2.30pm to 4.30pm.
TV guide: India: Star Sports HD1, Star Sports HD3, Star Sports 1, Star Sports 3. UK: Sky Sports 2. New Zealand: Sky Sport. Australia: Fox Sports. USA and Canada: Willow TV. Middle East: OSN Sports Cricket HD. Singapore and South East Asia: Star Cricket. South Africa: SuperSport.
