It took India about 47 minutes on the third day to become the first team in Test cricket to win four straight matches by an innings. At 968 balls, this was the shortest Test with an outright result in India, beating the 1028 balls against Afghanistan last year. The win took India’s winning streak to their longest: seven. The most outstanding statistic, though, was that this was India’s first home Test win without a single wicket from a spinner. It was only their second such win overall after Johannesburg in 2018.
The only man missing out on a great day for statistics was Ishant Sharma, who started the day one wicket short of registering his best match figures and only his second 10-wicket match haul. There were four wickets left, including that of a hamstrung Mahmudullah. Umesh Yadav bolted past Ishant for the innings, taking three wickets, and Mahmudullah couldn’t bat again. That gave Umesh his second Test five-for.
The tail was never going to wag against India, with the lower order backing away frequently against the unsettling pace of the fast bowlers. Overnight half-centurion Mushfiqur Rahim was the player to put up resistance, and his innings ended with a clever slower ball as he looked for quick runs.
