Apart from the usual suspects Joe Root and James Anderson, Jack Leach proved to be the most impressive player for England in the test series against India.
Jack Leach
When the series between India and England began, Jack Leach wasn't particularly a name in the opposition which the Indian batsmen would have feared. However, by the time the series ended, Leach turned out to be a fierce competitor, finishing as the highest wicket taker for England.
Given that the pitches offered a lot of spin, the left arm spin of Jack Leach was a handful all throughout the series. It is credit to the spinner that he had the ability and the control to land the ball repeatedly in good areas and reap the rewards.
He picked up 18 wickets in the series at an average of 28.72 and an economy rate of 3.21. All this after Rishabh Pant smashed him out of the attack the first time he got the ball in hand, which is a tremendous feat.
Joe Root
10 out of 10 people would have told you even before the series commenced that Joe Root would finish as the highest run scorer for England in the test series, and this is exactly what happened.
Root made the most of his purple patch in the first innings of the first test match in Chennai itself with a sumptuous knock of 218 which set up England's historic victory. He scored 368 runs in the series at an average of 46 and a strike rate of 54.43, with the help of 35 boundaries and was the most prized scalp in the England batting lineup.
James Anderson
With the conditions skewed heavily in the favour of spin bowlers, James Anderson did not have a lot to bowl, but whenever the veteran bowler was brought into bowl, he made the ball talk.
For all the chatter that James Anderson isn't effective enough in conditions which are not conducive for swing bowling, the veteran pace bowler proved the critics wrong. Although his figure show just eight wickets, Anderson was unplayable at times in the series, especially when the ball was doing a bit.
His economy rate of 1.92 shows that it was very tough to take him on. His spell in Chennai during which he got both Shubman Gill and Ajinkya Rahane bowled is one to remember. One can only imagine the havoc he can wreak when India tour England later this year.
