Young Karun Nair today announced his arrival at the world stage with an unforgettable triple ton (303 not out) as India broke a deluge of records en route their highest ever Test total of 759 for 7 against England on the penultimate day of the fifth and final match here.
It was a day that solely belongs to the 25-year-old Karun, who become the second Indian batsman after the legendary Virender Sehwag (twice) to hit a triple hundred in Test match cricket.
During his marathon 381-ball innings, Karun hit 32 boundaries and four huge sixes as India took a huge lead of 282 runs before England finished the day at 12 for no loss.
With 90 overs remaining on the final day and a reasonably good track to bat on, England will fancy their chance of at least saving the Test.
Karun, who has been touted as one of the next big hopes in Indian cricket for his prolific scores in domestic cricket, showed just why he is highly rated.
Karun scored 232 runs in a single day and enthralled a select Chepauk crowd with shots all around the ground. The best part was his ability to use the entire 360 degree of the ground hitting his shots.
Equally adept at front and backfoot play, he was quick to use his feet against England spinners with their premier tweaker Moeen Ali returning with dismal figures of 1/190 in 41 overs while Liam Dawson (2/129) and Adil Rashid (1/153) also proved to be expensive.
Call it poetic justice, it was another identical loopy leg break from Adil Rashid -- a throwback to what he had exactly bowled to KL Rahul yesterday when the opener was on the cusp of double hundred.
Rahul was unlucky but Karun's lazy cut shot escaped a diving Alastair Cook as the entire Indian dressing room led by captain Virat Kohli gave Karun a standing ovation.
It is an irony that this chance that Karun got was a lucky one considering he was not in line for a Test debut during the series.
He was picked for the series after Rohit Sharma suffered hamstring injury.
Then a freak injury for Rahul opened the Test 'door' for Karun in Mohali where he was unfortunately run-out.
Once Rahul was fit in Mumbai, Karun was expected to sit out but this time it was Ajinkya Rahane, who was ruled out due to a finger fracture.
Karun didn't get too many there also but Rahane being ousted meant that he got another opportunity.
Those who have seen him bat in domestic cricket were always sure that he would succeed as no one Indian player has scored more runs in first-class cricket in past three seasons (total) than the stockily built Karun.
The triple hundred will surely increase positive 'problems' for Kohli and coach Anil Kumble as they will have to take a tough call once a fit Rahane is back in the scheme of things against Australia.
(REOPENS DEL 89)
Even a target of 382 did not look safe enough as England almost scripted a brilliant chase with Morgan's valiant century.
With Morgan in full flow on a benign pitch and the heavy dew working to their advantage, England needed 28 from 10 balls, but Bumrah's presence of mind saved the day for India. Morgan finished with 102 from 81 balls with six fours and five sixes.
Liam Plunkett straight drove one with an anxious Morgan out of the crease as Bumrah gathered the ball and disturbed the stumps with a cool-headed display. It was all over for England who ended at 366 for five.
Bumrah returned with 2/81, while Ravichandran Ashwin was also among wickets with 3/65. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja played his part, conceding just 45 runs for one wicket in his full quota of 10 overs.
Earlier, in a vintage display, Yuvraj and Dhoni put on 256 from 230 balls, the second highest for the fourth wicket behind Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja's 275 against Zimbabwe, incidentally at the same venue in April 1998.
In the process, Yuvraj lived upto his word of playing freely alongside his former skipper Dhoni with the burden of captaincy being take away.
In his comeback series after more than three years, India's 2011 World Cup hero smashed a career-best knock, his first century since the victorious campaign six years ago.
This was also a record score at the venue, bettering the 363/5 against Sri Lanka in 2014, as the packed 43,000-capacity crowd forgot the disappointment of seeing India all out for 79 in a T20I in 2015.
The Indian duo overtook Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers' 172 as the best for the fourth wicket.
Yuvraj launched Plunkett inside out over extra cover boundary to move to 99 before calmly tucking a short ball to square leg to bring up his century. A standing ovation followed as Yuvraj raised his arms, looked up and thumped his chest.
The newly-married Yuvraj initially survived some anxious moments with his edges flying around, one of them going in the vacant slip cordon.
Yuvraj completed his 150 after a DRS referral went in his favour. On 149, Yuvraj was given out caught behind by umpire Anil Choudhary but the left-hander took a referral that showed the ball had bounced before Jos Buttler had taken the catch.
The Indian duo toyed with the English attack left, right and centre, even as Dhoni completed his century with a single off Chris Woakes.
Yuvraj's innings came to an end when he edged Woakes.
It was an incredible recovery by the two veterans as they saw off a wobbly first 30 minutes when India had lost Lokesh Rahul (5), Virat Kohli (8) and Shikhar Dhawan (11).
Woakes reduced India to 25/3 in 4.4 overs in a kind of collapse that was seen at home for the first time since 2007 versus Australia.
Woakes squared up Rahul before inducing an edge at the second slip, while in the last ball of the same over he dismissed Kohli with Ben Stokes taking a diving catch.
In his next over, the English pacer brilliantly set it up for Dhawan with two short balls followed by a full delivery way outside the offstump as the batsman dragged it on to the stumps, giving Woakes a first spell that read 5-3-14-3.
India were staring down the barrel when Kohli also got out, paving the way for Dhoni and Yuvraj to take over.
Surprisingly enough, Morgan did not bring on his best bowler Woakes after his first five overs, even as India upped the ante.
Woakes (4/60) was reintroduced only in the 39th over but by then India had closed in on 300.
England kept themselves in line with Morgan's century
under pressure, coming after half tons from Jason Roy (82), Joe Root (54) and Moeen Ali (55).
Needing something special, English opener Roy and number three Root took the score past 100.
But Ashwin made up for his ordinary outing last time and snared the wicket of Root straightaway after being introduced in the 20th.
Dropped on 37 by Jadeja, Ali went on to post the fourth half-century of the lineup and gave the captain fine support, reducing the deficit to 83 from 40 balls.
With both batsmen looking ominous, it was Bhuvneshwar, who replaced Umesh Yadav in the only change for today's game, who gave a crucial breakthrough by removing Ali with a slower ball.
After being dropped, Roy also had an extended stay till he was castled by Jadeja, who continued his spell at the other end.
In the next over, Ashwin bowled the dangerman Ben Stokes (1) to reduce them to 173/4 and derail their chase with skipper Morgan waging a lone battle.
Ashwin, then, brilliantly foxed Buttler by dropping the ball outside leg as Dhoni whipped the bail off.
