Ind vs Eng: Host crumbles as Kohli leads India to 4th consecutive loss

Chennai, Feb 9: Jack Leach picked four while James Anderson scalped three wickets as England defeated Virat Kohli -led India by 227 runs in the first Test here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday.

 

England did not leave any room for India to score runs and took wickets frequently despite India skipper Virat Kohli showing resilience in the second innings. The England bowlers dominated the hosts right from the start of the final day. Shubman Gill showed a glimmer of hope but that was short-lived as James Anderson dismantled top order dismissing Gill, Ajinkya Rahane, and Rishabh Pant.

 

With this win, England has taken a 1-0 lead in the four-match Test series. If Dom Bess stole the show for England in the first innings, it was Jack Leach and Anderson's combined performance that helped them to win their sixth away Test match. No Englishman has won more Tests as captain than Joe Root’s 26 wins.

 

For England, who are buoyant on the heels of their successful tour of Sri Lanka, have recorded their sixth consecutive win in Asia. The longest winning streak by a non-Asian team in the subcontinent is seven by Australia (2002-04). The win over India in the first Test has also propelled England to the top of the ICC World Test Championship standings.

 

Lost by 10 wickets against New Zealand

Lost by seven wickets against New Zealand

Lost by eight wickets against Australia

Lost by 227 runs against England

 

 

Kohli (72) was the highest scorer in the fourth innings andto save sinking Indian ship for a while on Day 5. He was eventually bowled by Ben Stokes, making this the first time Kohli has been bowled in a Test match since January 2018. He had batted 37 innings since then.

 

Brief Scores: England 578 and 178; India 337 and 192/10 (Shubman Gill 50, Virat Kohli 72, Jack Leach 4-72).