2.50pm: In the foothills of the Himalayas, our journey has reached its end. England came to India looking to scale a peak no visiting team has conquered in more than a decade… and well, they didn’t get much beyond base camp, if we’re honest. But they gave it a good crack, and wound up with a three-day defeat which means we can all get on the golf course. So for that, let’s be grateful. Thanks, as always, for sticking with us through the series. From myself and Monga, Miller and the scorers, it’s cheerio for now. The IPL is incoming and you might not even have to hear the word “Bazball” for a few months. Small mercies. Bye!
2.30pm: Time to hear from Ben Stokes: “Since the first Test match, we’re man enough to say we’ve been outplayed. We’ve got so much cricket coming up, taking the positives is something I’m looking forward to and driving this team forward. There have been small moments when we’ve not been able to wrestle momentum back. It’s about trying to understand those moments and be a bit more relentless. [Aggressive batting?] When India get on top, men around the bat, the quality of bowlers like Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep… you’ve got to find ways of pushing men out and then comes with risk. It can be your downfall but if the intent is there, you hold your hands up. [Positives?] Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett continued their formidable partnership. Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley showed their quality. We’ve seen Joe Root come into form. Nice to be back bowling, too. [Anderson 700] Amazing to be on the field. 700 wickets as a seamer is phenomenal. He’s someone every young kids looks up to and want to emulate. He’s as fit as I’ve ever seen him. Great to watch.”
Player of the Match is Kuldeep Yadav: [Best bowling?] “I think, yes. Hard work from the last couple of years, getting the reward. I liked the Zak Crawley wicket. Focusing on the length, landing the ball on a good length. Not thinking about the batter. Length, the pace that I’m bowling and the rhythm. [Batting improvements] The batting coach helped be a lot, not only the skill aspect but the mental aspect.”
Player of the Series is Yashasvi Jaiswal: “Really enjoyed it, gave me a lot of experiences. Really happy with the way I played. [Sixes] Thinking to play my shots, if I think I can score runs, I will take it on. Trying to play one match at a time, enjoy it and do something to help my team.”
India captain Rohit Sharma: “When you win a Test, everything has to fall into place. Lot of things we did right through the match. [Absent stars] At some stage people are going to go, we know that. All these guys are short on experience but they’ve played a lot of cricket. We’ve got to nurture them and make them understand the game. When put under pressure they responded pretty well. Credit goes to the entire team for that. We talk about scoring runs, but it is as important to take 20 wickets to win the Test match. Everyone, all the bowlers came and responded. They wanted to make a difference with the ball in hand. [Kuldeep] We know he has a lot of potential, can be a match-winner. He has something about him. Since his knee injury he has come back, he’s putting a lot on the ball now. Most pleasing was his batting! [Jaiswal] The guy’s got a long way to go, wants to take on the bowlers. The talent, the shots, he puts bowlers under pressure. He’s come a long way and will understand what he needs to do. Top series for him, likes to score big.”
2.25pm: We are meandering our way towards the presentations in Dharamsala – there’s going to be a lot of gongs to hand out, I suspect. But Andrew Miller’s report is in, so that’s something. And if you’re an England fan looking for something to smile about – other than the everlasting magnificence of the HPCA Stadium backdrop – then Miller has also updated James Anderson’s milestone moments in the wake of his ascent to 700
2.05pm: Bazball came, Bazball saw, Bazball was conquered. After all the talking, India have swept England away – and that despite going 1-0 down and losing the services of a number of regular first-teamers. You might argue the teams were slightly more closely matched than 4-1 suggests, with England missing opportunities throughout, but you can’t quibble with the overall arc of the narrative
Time for a word with R Ashwin, who claimed match figures of 9 for 128 in his 100th Test: “Very happy, can’t really put a wrapper on how I’m feeling. Lot happened, lot of talk about the 100th Test. Overwhelmed, a lot of well-wishers have come forward. Win the Test and take wickets, what more can a bowler ask for? Tried different actions, speeds, releases through the series. You need that skillset in India. Pleased with how the ball came out today, even though I went for a few. Cricket is a game played between your ears. Looks like a lot is happening because the new ball is biting off the surface. [Experimentation] Not insecure about what people feel about me. We have to get criticised. I take it on board, I lock away what I learn. If I’m confident of trying and executing something, I will try that. The amount of cricket we play, and the analysis, batters will line you up if you don’t change. Sticking to one method won’t work. [Bowling with Kuldeep] From the far end there was more bite, from the other end more speed. With the new ball I got some bounce and kick today. The way the ball is coming out of Kuldeep’s hand is unbelievable, I can’t be more happy for somebody.”
