Veteran spinner R Ashwin played a key role in India’s series-clinching five-wicket victory over England in the fourth Test match at Ranchi.

After India conceded a lead of 46 runs in the first innings, Ashwin produced a remarkable spell to bring the hosts back into the contest.

The off-spinner returned with a five-wicket haul (5/51), his 35th in Test cricket, as India bundled out England for a paltry 145 to set themselves a target of 192 runs.

For his series-winning performance, Ashwin received rich praise from the former England cricketer-turned-commentator Nasser Hussain.

"People have been saying Ashwin has had a quiet series, but this game has been a reminder that you don't keep a great cricketer down. Root proved as much in England's first innings, and Ashwin underlined the point in their second," Hussain wrote in his column for Daily Mail.

Reflecting on Ashwi’s fifer, Hussain further stated that the ace spinner's eyes were fired up after getting the new ball.

"You could see the fire in his eyes when Rohit gave him the new ball: he was determined to stamp his class on the series," he added.

Thanks to Ashwin’s incredible spell, India dismantled England’s top order on Day 3 of the Ranchi Test. Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Ben Foakes and James Anderson were his victims.

In particular, Nasser Hussain was impressed with Ashwin’s execution of a carrom ball to dismiss Foakes. The former English skipper also hailed skipper Rohit Sharma's move to give Ashwin the new ball.

“He even treated us to a carrom ball to get rid of Foakes,” Hussain wrote.

"Rohit Sharma got it spot on when he opened the bowling with Ravichandran Ashwin, after delaying his entry for too long in the first innings at Rajkot. That allowed Duckett, who has struggled against Ashwin, to get off to a flyer, and Rohit wasn’t going to make that mistake again," he further remarked.

Both the teams will now face each other in the dead-rubber fifth Test match at Dharamsala from March 7.