LONDON (AP) – England’s bowlers destroyed India’s batting order once again, dismissing the tourists for only 94 runs to seal a 3-1 series victory on day three of the fifth Test at the Oval yesterday.
Chris Jordan and James Anderson spearheaded England’s brutal bowling attack as the hosts thrashed India by an innings and 244 runs – the tourists’ third heaviest test defeat ever. India have now lost both its last two Tests within three days and by an innings defeat each time.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni – who scored 82 in India’s first innings 148 – was asked if the series defeat could bring an end to his six-year captaincy.
“You’ll have to wait and watch,” he answered, before lamenting the poor form of his top batsmen.
“It’s a reflection of batting that has not done well,” Dhoni said about India’s three consecutive defeats.
“We have not been able to get a good opening partnership, because of which Cheteshwar Pujara has had to go in early in almost all the innings. We keep exposing our batsmen, who are going through a lean phase. If you lose too many early wickets, it is difficult to put runs on the board.”
It marks a huge turnaround in the status of the rival captains from the second Test at Lord’s, where India recorded a brilliant 95-run victory to lead the series 1-0.
At that point, all the pressure was on Dhoni’s opposite number Alastair Cook. England were winless in ten Tests, having been whitewashed 5-0 in the Ashes before losing a Test series at home for the first time to Sri Lanka, while Cook himself was enduring a barren spell with the bat.
Now, after three consecutive victories resulting in an emphatic 3-1 series win and individual scores of 95, 79 and 70 since that defeat, Cook has silenced critics, including past England captains, who were demanding his resignation.
