England recorded their first Test victory in India since 2012 after bundling out the hosts for 192 on the final day of the series opener in Chennai to register an emphatic 227-run win and take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series on Tuesday.
Fifties from Indian skipper Virat Kohli (72), who notched his 24th Test half-century, and opener Shubman Gill went in vain as England were dominant from the off, taking five wickets within a space of 78 runs in the morning session to leave the Indian innings in tatters.
Chasing a mammoth 420-run target, the day’s play started with India’s score at 39/1. Cheteshwar Pujara (15) was the first to fall, after a flighted delivery from spinner Jack Leach clipped his glove and went to Ben Stokes at the slips.
Gill (50) completed an impressive half-century but his celebrations were short-lived, as Anderson struck twice in three deliveries to rattle the hosts.
Anderson, England’s leading wicket-taker in Test cricket, dismissed Gill with a dream delivery, pitching on the off-stump and swinging back in to find the gap between Gill’s bat and pad to crash into the stumps.
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Ajinkya Rahane (0) fell next to a delivery very similar to one that accounted for Gill.
Anderson got his third scalp of the day when Pant edged a length delivery straight to skipper Joe Root at short cover, following which spinner Dom Bess joined in on the action, inducing an outside edge from Sundar for Buttler to take a regulation catch behind the stumps.
At Lunch, India’s score was at 144 for the loss of six wickets, needing another 276 runs for victory.
After the restart, Kohli and Ashwin (9) had stitched together a 52-run partnership, the only of India’s second innings, with the skipper scoring briskly to bring up his half-century.
But Jack Leach broke the partnership for his third wicket of the innings when Ashwin gloved a short-pitched ball while attempting a cut shot.
Ben Stokes all but confirmed the win as he clean-bowled Kohli (78) soon after, with Shahbaz Nadeem (0) not providing any substantial resistance to the English onslaught.
Jofra Archer sealed the win as Jasprit Bumrah nicked a bouncer through to Buttler for a simple catch.
The win, England’s sixth consecutive away from home in Tests, sets up the rest of the series perfectly, with the second match scheduled to be played from February 13-17 at the same venue.
