After James Anderson became the first fast bowler to achieve 700 Test wickets, Ravichandran Ashwin tore apart the top order as England struggled to escape a three-day loss in Dharamsala.
On the third morning of the fifth Test, Anderson dismissed Kuldeep Yadav to become the 700 club’s third member, along with the late Australian leg-break bowler Shane Warne and former Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.
After India was all out for 477 and leading 259, Ashwin, playing in his 100th Test match, went on a rampage, taking wickets of Ben Stokes and Ollie Pope to leave the tourists on 103 for five at the conclusion of the session.
On his 100th Test match, Jonny Bairstow made a brief comeback by hitting three huge sixes off Ashwin, but the Yorkshireman’s series would not end in memory as he was out of the game before lunch for 39 off 31 balls.
With Stokes being dismissed by Ashwin with the last ball of the session, England’s prospects of winning the series by an innings now depend on Joe Root, who is on 34 not out. A 4-1 series defeat now looks all but inevitable.
Following a punishing few days, Anderson’s kiss on Kuldeep’s outside edge as he was getting Ben Foakes for 30 made England grin. After accepting his teammates’ greetings, the ageless 41-year-old raised the ball in a customarily subdued celebration.
With just four runs added to India’s overnight total, Shoaib Bashir achieved his five-for. The youthful off-spinner claimed 20 runs from Jasprit Bumrah to round out his five-for-172. Before leaving the field together, Anderson and Bashir both gave way to the other to lead England off the field.
Shortly after the start of England’s innings, Ben Duckett, bowling against his usual style, rushed down the wicket and toe-ended the ball on to his off stump, giving Ashwin the breakthrough in his opening over.
Pope was unreliable once more, scoring 19 before planning a sweep that blew out off the top edge to Yashasvi Jaiswal. Zak Crawley scored a 16-ball duck and was removed after he turned Ashwin to backward short-leg.
Bairstow was purposeful and muscled three sixes in the space of seven Ashwin deliveries but was lbw when Kuldeep found sharp turn off the pitch. A review failed to save him as HawkEye showed the ball brushing the top of the stumps. Despite bagging a wicket with his first ball yesterday, Stokes’ troubles with the bat continued as he was dismissed for a 13th time by Ashwin on the stroke of lunch, bowled through the gate by one that skidded on.
