England vs India 4th Test: Moeen Bowled the Best Today in England Shirt, Says Joe Root
Credits: Getty

It was a great bowling performance by England on the 4th day of the 4th Test against India at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the 5 match series. For the 2nd time in the match, Moeen Ali bowled quite superbly and bagged 4 crucial wickets which turned the game in England’s favour.

The visitors did upset the rhythm of England when captain Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane was going great guns. They shared a 100+ runs partnership which helped India have the advantage at one stage. However when Kohli was dismissed the match became wide open again. It was Moeen Ali who kept bowling in the rough and kept chipping away with the wickets.

Virat Kohli, India
Virat Kohli shared a good partnership with Ajinkya Rahane to take India close. Image Credits: Getty

England had begun the day leading India by 233 runs with a couple of wickets in hand. The visitors needed to get the last two wickets pretty quickly and they did exactly that on Day 4 morning. They were set a target of 245 to win and they would have backed themselves to chase the target down. The opening duo of Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul came out to begin proceedings.

England bowled quite brilliantly against India 

Yet again both failed very cheaply as India was three down in no time. KL Rahul was dismissed by Stuart Broad of a delivery which kept pretty low. Cheteshwar Pujara who scored a magnificent century in the 1st innings couldn’t quite replicate his heroics the 2nd time around. James Anderson bagged the wickets of Pujara and Dhawan in quick time.

Read More  Yuvraj Singh gives a derogatory statement towards Abhishek Sharma after SRH batsman's historic knock vs Mumbai Indians

From there on it was a great partnership between Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane which brought India back into the game. They batted quite superbly and shared a 102 runs stand. Both played some delightful shots and were ready to play the waiting game. They played Moeen Ali quite brilliantly and batted with intent.

India, England
Stuart Broad started off the slide for India. Credits: Getty

Eventually, it was Moeen Ali again who bagged the wicket of Virat Kohli. From there on it was a procession like most times in these conditions. Wickets kept tumbling on a consistent basis and India never recovered from the jolt. Rishabh Pant played a few attacking shots before falling to Moeen. Eventually, they were bowled out for 184 which handed England a 60 runs victory.

Now here is what the winning skipper Joe Root said at the post-match presentation

He has, not just in this game but throughout the series. For a young guy to have such an influence is outstanding. Credit to the group, they were outstanding throughout. Character has been a massive strength of this team. For the seamers, it was about hitting the surface as hard as possible and for spinners, it was about being as aggressive as possible. Bit of time away from this environment can help. Have spoken with Mo about that.

Read More  IPL Live Streaming In India– When and Where To Watch Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Capitals Live In India? IPL 2024, Match 9

Today was probably the best I’ve seen him bowl in an England shirt. Really excites me. When you’re in the form he’s in, it’s a nice luxury to have. We do bat deep. Has been a great strength for us this series.

A Cricket Expert who loves revolving his life around the game. An extremely passionate music lover who loves singing and listening to Arijit Singh songs.