England vs India 2018: 5th Test Match - Five Talking Points

England won the fifth Test match at the Oval by 118 runs and thus they take the series by 4-1. The scoreline might not suggest but it was a competitive series. However, India didn’t throw in the towel on the fifth day and final day of the Test match as they showed a great fight. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant both scored hundreds to keep Indian hopes alive and England at bay. Rahul finally found his form as he scored his runs in the topmost gear whereas Rishabh Pant scored his runs in the way he only knows.

However, it was a matter of time after these two batsmen got out as England ran through India’s lower order in a jiffy. Thus, it was a perfect farewell to Alastair Cook as the win at Oval acted as a perfect cherry on the cake to his final game.

Here are the five talking points of the fifth Test match.

Alastair Cook Bids Adieu on a high.

Alastair Cook went out on a high. The England vanguard batsman wasn’t in the best of forms in the first four matches. However, he was able to find his Midas Touch in his swansong. The southpaw opener scored a fighting 71 in the first innings. Subsequently, he backed it with a brilliant 147 in the second innings.

Cook deserved every bit of his farewell and he was given a fine standing ovation by the Oval crowd. It was a perfect way for the veteran batsman to bid adieu to the game. The English opener ended his career with 12,472 runs and 33 Test hundreds. He also becomes the fifth leading run-getter in the red ball version. Cook started his career with a fifty and a hundred and also ended his career on the same note. Alastair Cook also received Player of the Match award as it was written in the stars.

James Anderson goes past Glenn McGrath’s Tally of 563 wickets.

England’s pack leader James Anderson finally leapfrogged his Ashes rival Glenn McGrath tally of 563 wickets. Thus, Jimmy is now the leading wicket-getter as a fast bowler whereas he is currently fourth on the list of most wickets in Test matches. Anderson now has 564 wickets at the Test arena.

The swing master scalped two wickets in the first innings and backed it with three wickets in the second dig. Anderson scalped 24 wickets in the series, which were the most by any bowler. However, Anderson was not able to get the better of his biggest nemesis, Virat Kohli. But Anderson was able to beat the Indian captain on numerous occasions and was unlucky as a lot of chances had gone begging.

Jos Buttler 89 runs-knock kept England in the game in first innings.

Jos Buttler continued his dream Test form going as he celebrated his 28th birthday in style. England was 198-7 on an opening day and had their backs against the wall. However, a similar story was repeated when Buttler found a perfect partner with Stuart Broad.

Consequently, Buttler was able to take England’s total to 332 runs in the first innings. Buttler was the second highest run-scorer with 349 runs in the series. The combative batsman scored one hundred and one fifty in the series.

KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant kept India in the hunt.

KL Rahul finally got back to form as he scored his 5th Test hundred. The Indian opener scored his runs in the topmost gear and took the attack to the opposition. Rahul played some delightful shots in his innings as he put together a fine exhibition of defence as well as attacking play.

On the other hand, Rishabh Pant batted in the way he knows. He played some audacious shots in his maiden Test hundred. The pugnacious batsman scored 114 runs off just 146 balls which included 15 fours and four sixes. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant put together an alliance of 204 runs to keep India hopes alive for the meantime.

Ravindra Jadeja and Hanuma Vihari kept India alive.

India had their backs against the wall when they were in arrears by 158 runs at the beginning of Day 3. However, Hanuma Vihari scored his maiden fifty and showed great promise with the bat. Therefore, it must have given a shot in the arm to the debutant.

On the other hand, Jadeja showed great resistance with the bat as he scored an unbeaten 86 to take India in close proximity to the England score. Furthermore, the southpaw all-rounder scalped seven wickets in the match. Interestingly, Jadeja was playing his first match of the tour and was able to hit the ground running from the get-go.