4th Test: Drawn Test gives England series-win after 28 years
India took just one wicket on the last day of the fourth Test as Jonathan Trott (143) and Ian Bell (116*) contributed vital centuries to help the tourists reach 352 for four before declaring.
England suffered a nine-wicket defeat in the first Test before turning the tables in the second and third which they won by 10 and seven wickets. Skipper Alastair Cook, who was named man of the series, hailed the win as ‘special’.
“It was a special day, special tour,” said Cook. “It was a flat pitch to bat on but Trott and Bell did it calmly. In my first series as captain, I couldn’t have asked for more. Our bowlers have been brilliant and all the batsmen contributed.”
Meanwhile, India captain MS Dhoni agreed that England deserved the victory.
“We struggled in the batting department but their spinners were right on the mark,” said Dhoni. “James Anderson was good, testing the batsmen. We tried a few combinations that didn’t work, we had some part-timers but we needed someone like Ravindra Jadeja to keep the lid on the batsmen.”
England paceman Anderson was declared man of the match for his four wickets in the first innings.
“People come here and think the spinners are going to get all the wickets,” said Anderson. “But I wanted to show seamers have a job to do as well.”
England stay second in rankings
Meanwhile, according to an ICC release, England’s first Test series win in India since 1984-85 enabled them to maintain their second position on the Test Championship Table. England earned one rating point, thereby lifting it to 118 points, while India lost one ratings point but remains in fifth on the table with 105 points.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 18th, 2012.
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