England vs India, 4th Test - Who Said What

England and India played yet another exhilarating Test match in Southampton after the Edgbaston and in the end, it was the hosts who prevailed once again. On both the occasions, England’s lower-order hurt India the most and to sum it up, it was Sam Curran who made the difference. Fittingly, it was him who finished things off as well by getting Ravi Ashwin out and sealing the series by 60 runs.

The visitors had the upper hand in the first innings after England won the toss and opted to bat first. They were 86/6 and then the kid named Curran played another blitzkrieg of 78 runs to propel them to 246 runs which many felt was an under-par total given the conditions and the pitch. India were delighted and at one stage were bossing the game at 142/2. But they suffered a collapse thanks to Moeen Ali and it was only because of Cheteshwar Pujara’s fighting knock of 132 runs which gave them the 27-run slender lead.

The second innings began promisingly for England but again India’s pacers were exceptional as they reduced the opposition to 122/5. But once again the lower-order batted really well for them and stretched the lead to 244 runs with Curran, the wonder kid, once again making the difference with Jos Buttler also making the difference with a 69-run knock.

Team India looked down and out in the chase as they endured a disastrous start. It was 22/3 when Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane came together and slowly but steadily they rebuilt. Both stitched the game’s first 100-run partnership and then the nerves started to jingle for the hosts. At 123/3, India were in with a great chance to win the game and level the series.

But the wicket of Kohli opened the floodgates. Rishabh Pant played his natural game but it sustained only for a brief period and then it was a one-way traffic and England skittled out the tourists for 184 runs and won the series with one match to go.

Man of the Match, Moeen Ali said:

Great to be back. I have missed Test cricket a lot. Needed a break. Just to appreciate everything in general. To enjoy my cricket again. When I was watching the guys at home, I missed it. Great to come back and contribute.

Playing in England for a while now, back myself a bit more. Got more confidence from county cricket. Done a lot of hard work with Saqlain. When they were about eight down, Root asked me if I fancied it. Did enjoy the 15 balls I faced. If I do bat there again, I need to tighten up. Something I’m not thinking much about.

England captain, Joe Root said:

He has, not just in this game but throughout the series. For a young guy (Curran) to have such an influence is outstanding. Credit to the group, they were outstanding throughout. From being up against it on the first morning, character has been a massive strength of this team. Then the skill level to back it up has been phenomenal.

For the seamers it was about hitting the surface as hard as possible and for spinners it was about being as aggressive as possible. Keep the catchers in and trust that there would be one ball that would turn the game around. Way we went about how to approach the day’s play was outstanding.

Bit of time away from this environment can help. Have spoken with Mo about that. Going to the IPL experiencing a different side of it. Today was probably the best I’ve seen him bowl in an England shirt. Such a testament to how he’s gone about things.

That strength and depth of the squad really excites me. When you’re in the form he’s in, it’s a nice luxury to have (about playing him at three). We do bat deep. Has been a great strength for us this series.

India captain, Virat Kohli said:

I thought England did well to give us that target. They batted well in third innings. Seeing how the pitch was, how the ball was turning, they applied themselves and got to a total that was challenging. Thought we were in with a fifty-fifty chance last night.

Didn’t get a good start, England applied a lot of pressure. All in all it was a challenging day, we put our best foot forward but it wasn’t good enough. Don’t think we made too many mistakes today. Credit to them.

We never thought like that (of an impending collapse). Me and Jinks did well with that partnership, but if you don’t have a partnership before or after it becomes difficult. But we were always under the pump. The pressure was non-stop.

We felt the passion of eleven players on the field, wanting to win the Test match for their country. Me and Jinks (Rahane) had the same passion. It was getting competitive. It was tough for England as well that phase. But they pulled it back. That’s the beauty of Test cricket.

I thought about my dismissal as well in the first innings, if I had carried on we would’ve got a larger lead. Nothing to take away from Pujara. He was outstanding in the first innings to get us a lead of 30-odd. He played so well to get us that lead.

Weren’t many negatives for us from this game. Need to focus on positives. Have to take heart going into the final Test.

It is quite handy to have guys who can strike the ball well in those positions. Once those partnerships get going, it gets frustrating. Every team feels like that, when the lower-order gets runs. They were braver in tough situations than us. Those contributions from lower-order have been significant.

Would like to congratulate Sam Curran, a nice find for England and he’s doing well. Joe (Root) was saying, it might not look like it but it has been a competitive series. Agree with him, been enjoyable to play. Fun for the people to watch too. Won’t throw in the towel, we will come out with same intensity at The Oval.

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