India get reality check

England gave the finishing touches to a game they bossed from the very start in splendid fashion, bringing to ground a high-flying India as the tourists soared in searing Chennai on Tuesday.

Veteran pacer James Anderson (3/17) produced a sensational spell in the morning to rattle the Indians while Jack Leach (4/76) sucked the life out of the hosts with a fine exhibition of left-arm spin bowling as England posted a massive 227-run win at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

When England started the final day, they knew they had to make the most of the new ball on a wearing Chepauk track to go 1-0 up. In the previous four days, most of the wickets had fallen with the ball not older than 30 overs with the batting becoming progressively easy as it starts ageing rapidly on an abrasive surface. They were also aware of the fact they that needed to produce special balls to open up the formidable Indian batting line-up. Leach and Anderson did exactly that in a fascinating first session to swing the game completely England's way.

Leach, who prised out Rohit Sharma with the beauty on the fourth evening, dished out another to net the big fish Cheteshwar Pujara. The Saurashtra right-hander has been the rock of this Indian batting, safeguarding one end with his unshakable defence as dashing stroke makers around him go after the bowling. But Pujara was simply undone by Leach’s sharp turn and bounce. Even Pujara could do little as the ball took an edge straight into the bucket hands of Ben Stokes at slips. It was the wicket England desperately wanted and the anguish inside the Indian dressing room was there to see.

Anderson, Test cricket’s most successful fast bowler, was brought into the attack in the 27th over and he unleashed mayhem in his very first over of the spell. He first crashed through the defences of the well-set Shubhman Gill (50, 83b, 7x4, 1x6), stumps going cartwheeling. Two balls later, he almost trapped Ajinkya Rahane with an in-swinger, the vice-captain lucky to survive on umpire's call. But Rahane had no such luck the next ball as Anderson reproduced the same delivery that had Gill’s stumps in a disarray. The result was the same as India slumped to 92/4.

Anderson, who is untouchable when he’s on song, continued to torment India. Getting the old ball to reverse exceptionally well, he kept coming at India with that troublesome line and length. The pressure got on to the in-form Rishabh Pant, who holed out to Joe Root at short cover. India, at 110/5, were now down in the dumps. Anderson’s spell was an irresistible 7-4-8-3.

Leach then took charge again, getting two wickets on either side of lunch to blow apart India. Before the break he scalped Washington Sundar with another ball that turned sharply and then ended the gritty stay of Ashwin, extra bounce this time flummoxing the batsman.

It was left to skipper Virat Kohli (72, 104b, 9x4) to delay the inevitable but he knew the end very close. That was confirmed when Ben Stokes castled him. A shell-shocked Kohli trudged back, the thought of his team being outplayed completely slowly sinking in.

The tail, with no life left, didn’t wag much and England wrapped a thumping victory an hour post lunch, their sixth away win on the bounce. It was also Root’s sixth win as skipper from as many games and their biggest by runs against India in India. They now will genuinely believe of replicating their heroics of 2012 when they posted a 2-1 win. India, who bounced back from an opening Test loss at home to beat Australia in 2017, will have plenty to ponder before the second Test starts on February 13.