Virat Kohli and his team delivered the goods in the recently-concluded Test series against England, scripting a thumping 4-0 win. India's win in Chennai on Tuesday brought the series to a glorious end with the home team scripting a win by an innings and 75 runs.
The Test series might have been dominated by India, but there were several players from both sides, who had a memorable time in the five-match series, as far as their individual landmarks were concerned. Batsmen stood tall, scoring some huge runs while the bowlers also put their best feet forward to come up with some solid performances in the series.
Here is a look at top performers in the Test series.
India
Virat Kohli
The skipper led from the front in the Test series, scoring runs consistently. He finished the series as the highest run-getter, amassing 635 runs including two hundreds. Besides the fifth Test, where he scored 15 runs, he was on top of his game against the English bowlers, playing an important role in the middle order for India. His innings of 235 in Mumbai will be remembered for a long time for its sheer brilliance, when he hardly made any errors. With this consistency in the Test series, Kohli has once again showed us that he is one of the best batsmen in world cricket.
R Ashwin
The off-spinner was always going to be India's ace, and Ashwin did not disappoint with some amazing performances in the Test series. Even when the pitches did not provide much help on the first day, he used all his experience and class to trouble the English batsmen. He finished with 28 wickets. Besides his bowling exploits, it was his contribution in the lower order with the bat, which ranks right up there as he smashed four half-centuries, helping him establish himself as a quality all-rounder.
Special mentions: Karun Nair (303 not out in fifth Test) – The right hander became only the second Indian to score a triple ton. Karun was at his amazing best in only the third Test match of his international career.
Ravindra Jadeja (seven wickets in second innings - Chennai Test) - Ashwin stole the show throughout the series, but it was Jadeja, who took seven wickets on the final day of the series to make it even more memorable for India.
England
Joe Root
The Englishman finished the Test series as England's highest scorer with 491 runs, and it does not come as a surprise with Root being one of the best players in the current crop of top stars in world cricket. Root might be disappointed that despite four half-centuries and a ton, he could not help England script a single win in the Test series. However, Root did not look in much trouble as he played the spinners with ease, even when the pitch had something for the slow bowlers.
Moeen Ali
The English all-rounder had a decent Test series both with the bat and ball. He scored 381 runs and managed to take 10 important wickets. His all-round skills came in handy in the series as he picked up wickets when his captain Alastair Cook required it, and likewise also scored runs. The left-hander started the series with a ton and ended in the same manner in Chennai. This series will help Ali gain immense confidence to perform for England on a consistent basis.
Special mentions: Keaton Jennings (112 runs in Test debut in Mumbai) – The left-hander started his Test career on a high with an impressive performance in Mumbai, scoring a magnificent ton. He did not show any sign of nerves as he handled the spinners and pacers like a mature batsman.
Haseeb Hameed (for his defiant spirit in the 3rd Test) – The 19-year old scored 59 runs, and showed some great character and determination as he handled the Indian bowlers quite well even when his little finger was broken. This has to be one of the highlights of the series.
