Yashavi Jaiswal stars with the bat as India win third Test by 434 runs

By SABC Sport
18th February 2024

England suffered their heaviest defeat in terms of runs in more than 80 years as a double century by Yashavi Jaiswal guided India to a 434-run win.

England were chastened as never before in the Bazball era, all out for a meek 122 to collapse to their heaviest Test defeat in terms of runs since the Second World War.

Yashasvi Jaiswal followed up his 209 in Visakhapatnam out with 214 not out in Rajkot as India became the first side to declare against England under the axis of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.

After India amassed 430 for four to set a world-record 557 to win the third Test, England never looked like living up to their billing as happy hunters and were skittled in 39.4 overs to lose by a whopping 434 runs.

Only once before have England been beaten by a wider margin - against Australia by 562 runs in a timeless Test in 1934 - while they were spared total embarrassment by the last three wickets adding 72.

Hometown hero Ravindra Jadeja took five for 41 as the hosts moved 2-1 up in the five-match series, with Stokes™ 100th Test a forgettable affair in what was a throwback display from his team to the past couple of England tours of India.

The roots of this crushing setback lay in England imploding from 224 for two to 319 all out to surrender a first-innings lead of 126, before watching on helplessly as Jaiswal, plus Shubman Gill (91) and Sarfaraz Khan (68 not out) ground them into the dirt.

James Anderson went at six an over in an innings where he has bowled more than 10 balls for the first time since 2006, with Jaiswal and Sarfaraz putting on an unbroken 172 in 158 deliveries as England wilted in the sapping heat before being put out of their misery 50 minutes before tea on day four.

Ben Duckett had bullishly insisted India œcan have as many as they want and we™ll go and get them the previous evening but he set the hares running after negotiating the first six overs with Zak Crawley.

Duckett clipped into the leg-side and set off but looked up to see his partner had not moved, and he could not regain his ground as Dhruv Jurel took a running catch and whipped off the bails.

England ended the session with both openers back in the pavilion as Crawley was beaten on the inside edge and unfortunate that a review stayed with the umpire, as the ball was only brushing leg stump.

Jadeja then ripped the heart out of England™s middle-order in the final session as Ollie Pope edged to slip while Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root were lbw after missing sweeps, the Yorkshire pair out for single figures as their poor returns with the bat this series continued.

A position of 50 for four before Root™s dismissal became 50 for seven after Stokes missed a sweep to Kuldeep Yadav on 15 and Rehan Ahmed slapped to long-on, all before Ravichandran Ashwin was brought on to bowl following his return from a medical family emergency.

A 32-run stand between Ben Foakes (16) and Tom Hartley (16) kept India waiting while Mark Wood™s buccaneering 33 off 15 balls put some of his top-order colleagues to shame but he slammed to long-on off Jadeja as India claimed their biggest Test win by runs with a day to spare.

Jaiswal retired on 104 the previous evening because of a sore back but had sufficiently recovered to return on Sunday morning after Gill was sold short by nightwatcher Yadav and run out.

There was no hint of lingering discomfort as Jaiswal cut, swept and drove clinically. When Anderson tried to hide the ball outside off after lunch before going straighter, a full toss was pumped over long leg and his next two deliveries also went the distance as he conceded three consecutive sixes.

Anderson made way for Root, who put down Sarfaraz on 37 - the Yorkshireman™s second drop of the Test - before the debutant moved to his second fifty, but the crowd™s energy was firmly fixed on Jaiswal.

He came down a gear as he closed on his second successive double ton and got there with an understated push into the offside, celebrating before he had completed his single by whipping off his helmet and leaping into the air. As he soaked up the acclaim, Jaiswal shared a brief handshake with Stokes.

Landmark reached, Jaiswal™s next two balls were deposited over the rope as he equalled Pakistan great Wasim Akram™s haul of a dozen sixes in a single innings, made against Zimbabwe in 1996. Jaiswal was unable to move out on his own, though, as he and Sarfaraz were called in eight balls later.