Dharamshala, March 7 -- Poor England, even Divine Intervention from His Holiness Dalai Lama did not help them as they crumbled like cookies against India in the fifth Test here on Thursday. Call it pressure or the theatre of absurd, against a picturesque backdrop and wind in the air at the base of the Himalayas, left arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav wreaked havoc as England folded up for 218, after being in a position of strength.

Bazball, a joke now doing the rounds, seemed to have been resurrected by the Englishmen as openers Zak Crawley (79) and Ben Duckett (27) showed intent.

From 175/3 to 183/8 and then managing only 218 was one more misery tale. Only the Englishmen can do it, succumb to pressure and create more problems in a series where they have performed worse than a County club side.

At stumps, India were 135/1, trailing by 83 runs. Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma grabbed the English pacers by their collars. To score off pace and spin was a delight.

Someone in the stands said, this was India in Bazball mode, as Rohit was all aggro mode. He smashed Mark Wood for a long six. The skipper was unbeaten on 52, with six fours and two sixes highlighting his intent. Shubman Gill, unbeaten on 26, has also hit top gear, his 26 studded with bold and beautiful strokes.

The new template for India at the top is Yashasvi Jaiswal, as he waded into veteran pacer James Anderson, two short of 700 wickets and Mark Wood. The 57 Jaiswal scored was a breeze, in 58 balls.

Back to the story of spin and how England have failed, a bit on the conditions.

Yes, it was cold in Dharamsala and the pitch was brown, not green. One would have thought fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohd Siraj would love these conditions. No, it was Kuldeep Yadav, the third spinner in the attack who was in combat mode.

This guy is a left-arm wrist spinner. And the way he has improved in this series has been standout.

First priority had been accorded to R.Ashwin, who got his 100th Test cap earlier in the morning and Ravindra Jadeja. Worse, Axar Patel had been preferred in the past to Kuldeep, which can now be seen like a crime.

Never mind, the man from Uttar Pradesh is now in the zone. He is bowling with vengeance, venom and vision. These left arm wrist spinners are dangerous and hard to read. When they settle into a rhythm, it's torture for the batters.

That there are Englishmen with a batting pedigree exits on paper. Yet, more than pedigree, the degree of turn which Kuldeep produced to castle Crawley was a peach of a delivery. In these conditions, where there is a breeze and the stadium is open and breezy, a bowler like Kuldeep can be creative.

The ball which got Crawley drifted and turned, a massive 10.9 degrees to smash the leg stump. Obviously, the batter, Crawley, played it more on reflex than being prepared.

He was bamboozled and his walk back to the pavilion must have been a nightmare. Kuldeep was calm, no drama. He is a quiet bloke, he knows he is the junior. Once the seasoned pro, R.Ashwin, also got into a rhythm in an arena which is considered serene, the end was near for England. 218 is no total on a belter of a track prepared by the curators.

There was magnanimity from Ashwin as he signalled to Kuldeep to lead the team back into the dressing room.

That Kuldeep has played so few Tests is a sign he has been under-used. Yet, he has age on his side and in coming tours, especially Down Under later this year, he will be a potent force. As it is, he has shown all-round skills even as a batter to be recognised as an all-rounder.

Back to England's nightmare in India, they have so many seasoned stars in their XI. Ben Stokes has looked pedestrian, out for zero to Kuldeep. And wicket-keeper batter Jonny Bairstow was set up by Dhruv Jurel.

The exchange of words heard on stump microphone was a clear signal, Jurel had read Jonny's intent. Sure enough, Jonny Bairstow was caught by Jurel off Kuldeep Yadav, after he had stepped out of the crease.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.