India vs England: Spinners Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin put hosts in control of Fourth Test

Despite winning the toss on a blameless pitch and packing their side with batting, England were skittled for just 205 on the opening day of the final Test against India in Ahmedabad.

The story of England’s struggles against spin is neatly summarised by the fact that this was their highest score (by 13) and longest innings (75.5 overs) since their very first of the series almost a month ago, when Joe Root’s double-hundred powered them to 578.

Back then, it would have seemed hard to believe that things could regress so starkly. But at the tail-end of the series, a spicy surface is not even required to spook England’s batsmen. Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin need just trot in, spinning some balls and letting others skid straight on. England just cannot keep up with India now.

They were grateful, though, for the timeless James Anderson, who dismissed Shubman Gill lbw with the third ball of India’s innings. By stumps, India were 24 for one. All five of Anderson’s overs were maidens.

This time, many of England’s players got in, and looked better – but could not go on. After falling to 30 for three in a terrible start, wickets four to six were worth 48, 43 and 45 respectively. Ben Stokes made it to the fifties, Dan Lawrence the forties, while Jonny Bairstow and Ollie Pope had looked settled until being dismissed in the late twenties.

After five Test innings, Patel now has 22 wickets at an average of 11. He struck early again, and pipped Ashwin 4-3 in the wickets column. India’s lesser spotted third spinner, Washington Sundar, chipped in with the key scalp of Stokes in the afternoon session, too. They will miss England when they leave.

All this after England made two changes in a bid to avoid another episode of the batting wobbles. It was no surprise that Jofra Archer (who is managing his elbow injury) and Stuart Broad were left out, nor that Dom Bess returned.

Bess has had the strangest of winters, picking up 17 wickets at 23 in the three victories that opened England’s tour. He had been inconsistent but effective, and then replaced by Moeen Ali in the Second Test and an extra seamer in the third.

He has missed the matches on turning pitches, and lacked rhythm in the only over he bowled, the day’s second-last, which featured a no-ball, a couple of half-trackers, and a couple of threatening balls, too.

It was, though, unexpected to see Lawrence listed at No7, leaving just three full-time bowlers in the side. They are supplemented by the all-rounders Root and Stokes, who has bowled just 16 overs in the series and has been struggling with the sickness bug afflicting the squad.

With Lawrence pipping the likes of Broad and Olly Stone to a place in the XI, this appeared to be an over-correction from the Third Test, when they had at least one seamer too many and a tail that began at No8.

That sense was strengthened when India’s quicks Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Siraj found good bounce early in the day, and Anderson’s excellent start in the evening session.

Earlier, the arrival of Patel in the match’s sixth over precipitated panic in England’s top order. Dom Sibley was bowled off the inside edge by the dangerous straight ball, to the left-armer’s second delivery (he struck with his first ball in both innings last week).

And then Zak Crawley fell to left-arm spin for the seventh time in seven innings this winter, and in identical fashion to the very first (to Lasith Embuldeniya) almost two months ago in Sri Lanka. Crawley did not wait to learn that there was little turn, advancing at Patel to try to crunch a second boundary of the over. He was caught simply at mid-off.

That exposed Root again, and he was soon on his way, pinned lbw by a lovely delivery from Siraj, leaving England 30 for three.

Then the partnerships began. Bairstow and Stokes settled to play well until lunch, with boundaries regular. Bairstow was trapped in front, and Pope – who has struggled with Ashwin – simply looked to survive.

Stokes played some handsome strokes, including a slog sweep for six, but was also fooled by the one that went straight on. He was England’s key wicket, but did not even consider the review.

From 121 for five, England were grateful for the depth provided by Lawrence at No7. He was aggressive as Pope continued to flick the ball about, until he contrived to be caught at short leg in unfortunate fashion as he advanced – with the ball squirting off his inside edge, past his front leg and spooning up off his back pad.

Lawrence tried one shot too many and was stumped, so it was left to Anderson and Jack Leach to take England past 200. They got that job done, but the sense is that those two face a far sterner task with the ball if England are to escape this game without a third straight defeat.

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