ENG vs IND 2021, 3rd Test, Day 4 Stats Review: Joe Root becomes most successful England captain and more stats

After putting up a below-par show in the first two games, England made a stunning comeback in the third Test and defeated India by an innings and 76 runs. It was a truly remarkable performance from the hosts as Virat Kohli’s men were dominated in all three departments. While Joe Root stood out in the batting department, James Anderson and Ollie Robinson shone with the ball in hand.

Notably, the Three Lions were under the pump heading into this game, having lost the previous encounter by 151 runs at the iconic Lord’s. While not many backed them to bounce back, England didn’t put a foot wrong and thrashed the visitors in the third game. With this win, the hosts have also levelled the five-match series 1-1.

As far as the proceedings of the game are concerned, Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first. However, the decision didn’t prove fruitful by any means as India got skittled out for 78 runs. Veteran pacer James Anderson was the wrecker-in-chief in England, shattering the visiting team’s batting order with a three-wicket haul. While Indian bowlers were also expected to do some talking with the new ball, that wasn’t the case at all.

All from England’s top-four scores over 50 as India’s miserable campaign continued. In the process, English skipper Joe Root advanced to his third century of this series. Riding on his brilliance, the home team advanced to 432, earning a massive lead of 354 runs. At this point in time, India’s defeat seemed a mere formality.

However, the top-order made a fightback on Day 3. Veterans Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Virat Kohli scored fifties to spice up the contest. As a result, India were 215/2 at stumps on the third day, trailing by 139 runs. While the batters were expected to shine on Day 4 as well, they couldn’t survive even a session. India lost eight wickets for 63 runs on Day 4 as England emerged victoriously. Ollie Robinson got a five-wicket haul in the third innings and subsequently, a Player-of-the-Match award as well.

Meanwhile, here are the important stats and numbers from the England vs India 3rd Test Day 4:

27 – Joe Root became England’s most successful captain in Test cricket. He surpassed Michael Vaughan by taking the Three Lions to the 27th victory under him.

19 – Root also equaled Vaughan’s tally of 17 Test wins at home, joint-second most for any England captain. Andrew Strauss tops this list with 19 wins.

5 – Ollie Robinson registered his best figures in Test cricket (5/65). This was also his second five-for in England colours.

6 – This was Virat Kohli’s sixth 50-plus score in England soil as captain, joint-most for any Indian. MS Dhoni also has as many scores of over 50 while leading the team in UK.

2 – For the second time, India suffered an innings defeat against Virat Kohli’s leadership. The other instance was also recorded in England as India lost the 2018 Lord’s Test by an innings and 159 runs.

2 – Also, this was the second instance of India losing a Test match after Virat Kohli won the toss. India’s eight-wicket defeat against Australia in Adelaide last year was the other occasion.

2 – James Anderson became the second bowler to complete 400 Test wickets at home. Muttiah Muralitharan tops this list with 493 scalps.