Three things we learned from India's 4-1 series victory over England

The marquee five-match Test series between India and England came to a conclusion on Saturday with India thrashing England by an innings and 64 runs inside three days in Dharamsala to complete a comprehensive 4-1 series victory and retain the Anthony D’Mello Trophy in the process.

It was every bit an impressive comeback from the home team after they had suffered a stunning 28-run defeat in the series opener in Hyderabad in late January despite collecting a 190-run first innings lead. India would bounce back in the subsequent fixture in Visakhapatnam with a 106-run win before inflicting a brutal 434-run defeat on the Ben Stokes-led English side in Rajkot.

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The visitors would fight back in the fourth Test in Ranchi and collect a first innings lead for the first time in the series, only for Rohit Sharma and Co to bounce back in the second half of the match and seal the series with a game to spare with a five-wicket win.

With their victory in Dharamsala, arguably their most clinical of their four wins, India became the first team in more than a century to win a Test series 4-1 after losing the opening game.

Here are three things learnt from the series gone by:

Rise of new talent

The series unearthed young talent from both sides with Test debutants England spinners Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley making an impression on Indian pitches despite their team’s drubbing.

Left-armer Hartley led England’s inexperienced spin attack in the absence of senior bowler Jack Leach, who went home injured after playing the opener.

The 24-year-old made an instant impression with a seven-for on debut in Hyderabad. He finished with 22 wickets in five matches behind veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (26).

Bashir, 20, missed the opener due to a visa issue but made his debut in the second match in Visakhapatnam to claim Rohit as his first wicket.

He ended the series with a second five-wicket haul.

“You can see what talent he possesses and it’s great signs for all three formats for England,” skipper Ben Stokes said.

Four Indian debutants staked a claim to future call-ups including batsmen Sarfaraz Khan and Devdutt Padikkal, wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel and seamer Akash Deep.

Bazball falls flat

England’s attacking “Bazball” style of play excited Indian fans ahead of the tour with critics eager to see its outcome on slow and turning Indian pitches.

The fearless brand of cricket introduced by Stokes and coach Brendon “Baz” McCullum impressed saw bold reverse sweeps by Ollie Pope against Indian spinners, bringing him to 196 and spearheading England’s victory in the Hyderabad opener.

But England lost the next three Tests with frequent batting collapses, and their aggressive play came under fire.

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Joe Root faced a torrent of criticism in the third Test in Rajkot after getting dismissed off a reverse scoop. The shot was dubbed “the stupidest in English Test cricket history” by Telegraph cricket writer Scyld Berry.

Former captain Root hit an unbeaten 122 in the next match with his old-school batting But England stood by their play despite the losses.

“The media name Bazball — everyone says ‘what is it?’. In my opinion it’s wanting to be a better player,” said Stokes.

India’s home supremacy

India last lost a home Test series in 2012 when Alastair Cook’s England beat the hosts 2-1, but Rohit’s team looked vulnerable after their opening loss by 28 runs in Hyderabad.

Missing their top stars, including the absence of Virat Kohli due to the birth of his second child, the team triumphed nonetheless.

India bounced back to win four in a row, sealing the series victory in Ranchi and thumping England during the final match in Dharamsala.

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Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, 22, led the batting total for both sides with 712 runs — including double centuries in matches two and three — to be named Player of the series.

Spinners, after taking a beating in the first Test, came back roaring, with Ashwin reaching 500 Test wickets in Rajkot and finishing with a match tally of nine in his landmark 100th five-day game in Dharamsala.

“I think India is an amazing place to play because of how fast games can turn and that generally comes in games when the Indian spinners are operating,” said Stokes.

With AFP inputs