Runs. Records. Rajkot. In that order. If the victory at Vizag was a masterclass, India’s mammoth 434-run triumph over England - their biggest-ever win in terms of runs in their 577-Test history - was a unique magnum opus. 

And, this victory was written all over with a Mum-boys special starting with Rohit Sharma’s century to debutant Sarfaraz Khan’s double half-tons and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s second double hundred of the IND vs ENG Test series. Some other records also fell, courtesy of spin veterans Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

Here are the key highlights of the Test match that ensued at Rajkot.

Rohit toggles Hitman mode

It was coming. The Hitman’s first Test century of 2024 came in at a crucial time when India was 33/3 in the ninth over of the first innings. 131 runs off 196 balls - packaged with 14 boundary fours and three maximums - saw Rohit Sharma cross Sourav Ganguly as the fourth-highest international run-getter for India (18660 runs). His knock set the tone for the hosts to push for a 400-plus score.

Jadeja’s record innings on home turf

Ravindra Jadeja has always been the dynamic catalyst for victory for India, and on his home turf, the all-rounder didn’t disappoint. His fourth Test century (112 off 225 balls) saw Jaddu become the third Indian all-rounder after Kapil Dev and Ravichandran Ashwin to register 3000 runs and 250-plus wickets in red-ball cricket.

Debut and a half-century: Sarfaraz Khan version

Years of sweat and tears shed on the maidans of Mumbai won Sarfaraz Khan the opportunity to don the traditional whites of India in the third IND vs ENG Test. And the middle-order batter made the opportunity count with a well-deserved half-century. His knock - 66-ball 62 - showed his maturity and a promise of a newfound talent to carry India forward in the latest WTC cycle.

500 Test wickets, done and dusted

The wait was long, but it is now over. Ravichandran Ashwin, one of India’s greatest modern-day cricket greats, ascended to a new high by entering the 500-wicket club in the gentleman’s game. With this dismissal of Zak Crawley, Ashwin became

- The fastest Indian bowler (98 Tests) to 500 Test wickets

- The second fastest bowler (98 Tests) after Muttiah Muralitharan (87 Tests, SL vs AUS, 2004)

- The second fastest bowler to reach 500 test wickets in terms of balls bowled (after Glenn McGrath ahead)

- The second Indian bowler after Anil Kumble to take 500 Test wickets

- The second oldest Test cricketer (37y 152d) after Courtney Walsh to reach 500 Test wickets

- The third Test bowler after Shane Warne and Stuart Broad to register 3000 runs and 500-plus wickets

- The fifth spinner to take 500 Test wickets after Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Anil Kumble and Nathan Lyon.

Duckett, England’s ray of hope

England were comprehensively on the back foot against the Indian bowling attack, but that wasn’t the case for Ben Duckett. The top-order batter slammed a well-composed 151-ball 153 that took all the Indian fans at the Niranjan Shah Stadium by surprise. His effort - that included 23 fours and two sixes - catapulted England to a fighting total of 319 in their first innings.

The Mum-boys go on a joyride

Besides a valuable 91 from Shubman Gill, the second innings of India was defined by the exhilarating batting displays of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan. While the latter (68 not out) became the fourth Indian to score 50-plus runs in both innings of his maiden Test (after Dilawar Hussain, Sunil Gavaskar and Shreyas Iyer), Jaiswal (214 not out) road-rolled the English bowlers with his second double ton of the ongoing series that elevated India to 430/4d in the second innings and a gigantic 556-run lead.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, with his electric Test innings, became

- The first Indian batter to convert his first three centuries into 150-plus scores in Test cricket.

- He equalled the record set by Vinod Kambli for the most double centuries in Tests by an Indian batter at the age of 22 or younger.

- The third Indian batter to hit 200 in successive Tests after Vinod Kambli and Virat Kohli

- The third Indian batter to score two double centuries in a Test match series after Vinoo Mankad and Virat Kohli

- He equalled Wasim Akram’s record for most sixes in a Test innings (12). Amongst Indian batters, this is a new record surpassing Navjot Singh Sidhu (8, IND vs SL, 1994).

Ash-Jaddu complete victory in style

Chasing 557, England was depleted of confidence and stamina as India bowled them out for 122 inside 39.4 overs. And once again, the spin department - Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin - called the shots. While Kuldeep grabbed two wickets, Ashwin’s dismissal of Tom Hartley meant the veteran spinner has now registered 250 or more dismissals of left-handers and right-handers alike in Test cricket.

Ravindra Jadeja, on the other hand, ripped into the England batting order to notch his 13th Test fifer (5/41) and join Ashwin as the only Indian all-rounder to register a century and a five-wicket haul in a Test match on multiple occasions.

Brief scores: India 445 (Rohit Sharma 131, Ravindra Jadeja 112; Mark Wood 4/114) and 430/4 declared (Yashasvi Jaiswal 214*, Shubman Gill 91, Sarfaraz Khan 68*) BEAT England 319 (Ben Duckett 153; Mohammed Siraj 4/84) and 122 (Mark Wood 33; Ravindra Jadeja 5-41) by 434 runs.