Root called on his attack to be "braver" by bowling fuller lengths after Australia went 2-0 up with a resounding 275-run victory at the Adelaide Oval.
England start the third Test in Melbourne knowing they must win to have any chance of regaining the urn and captain Root does not see a problem with himself and the bowlers having a difference of opinion.
"I like to give our bowlers, especially the senior ones, that responsibility," Root said. "They [James Anderson and Stuart Broad] have more than 300 Tests between them and over 1,000 wickets, and they know what they are doing.
"It's working alongside them, it's not a dictatorship. Every now and again, you don't always agree on everything and that's fine.
"Ultimately, it's about coming to a point where you get the results we want. Unfortunately, in the last game, we didn't quite get there."
Root will break former Pakistan batter Mohammad Yousuf's record of 1,788 Test runs in a calendar year if he scores 159 or more in England's last match of 2021.
England must raise their game in the field, having dropped at least five catches in four of their past five Tests. They put seven chances down in Adelaide.
Australia have lost two of the previous three Boxing Day Tests, both of those defeats coming at the hands of India.
England set to ring the changes
The tourists are set to wield the axe after two heavy defeats, with Zak Crawley, Jonny Bairstow, Jack Leach and Mark Wood potentially getting the nod.
Rory Burns is reportedly in danger of being dropped and fellow opener Haseeb Hameed is also under pressure, while Chris Woakes looks likely to miss out after he went for 149 runs and took only one wicket in the second Test.
Ollie Pope has also been out of sorts early in the series, failing to reach double figures in his past three innings after starting with 35 at the Gabba.
Crawley has not played for England since a drawn Test against India at Trent Bridge in August.
Cummins returns, Labuschagne on top of the world
Pat Cummins returns to skipper Australia after missing the last Test due to coming into close contact with a positive coronavirus case at a restaurant in Adelaide.
Australia now have the number one Test bowler in the world in Cummins and the best batter on the planet, with Marnus Labuschagne taking that mantle from Root.
Labuschagne is the leading run-scorer in the series with 228 at an average of 76 following his maiden Ashes century in the second Test.
Josh Hazlewood is set to miss out again due to a side injury, so Jhye Richardson should get another opportunity after claiming a maiden five-wicket Test haul on his Ashes debut last week.
Scott Boland claimed astonishing figures of 6-7 as the tourists capitulated to 68 all out in the morning session on day three, suffering a chastening innings-and-14 run defeat.
England needed a victory to have any chance of regaining the urn, but suffered a third hammering of what has been a painful series for Joe Root's side.
James Anderson had given them hope by taking 4-33 as were Australia bowled out for 267 on day two, but their batting frailties were exposed yet again on Tuesday.
Yet head coach Silverwood says it is not all doom and gloom for England and believes he still has the players' backing.
Asked if the players are stilt responding to him as head coach, Silverwood told BT Sport: "I think they are.
"We had a good honest chat after the last game [the defeat at the Adelaide Oval]. We just have to put performances together and start pushing back.
"It is disappointing for us all and the lads will be feeling that in the dressing room.
"But I have to give credit to Australia, particularly Scott Boland on debut and Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc for their opening spell last night.
"We had a good honest chat after the last Test, we just have to couple those performances together and find a way of pushing back against this bowling attack and scoring runs.
"Yesterday we had a little bit of disruption in the morning [a positive COVID-19 test in the team's family group] and I think the way the guys applied themselves on the field and the way the bowling attack rallied and got us back into this game was a credit to them.
"The way we caught in the last innings was good as well and I think there are positives coming out of this."
Silverwood believes England can salvage some pride in the remainder of a series that was over so soon after it started.
"We want to take something away from this series and we want to come back and compete in the last two Test matches," he added.
"We do have some world-class players and some youngsters as well who are learning on the job constantly. What we have to do is try and give them some confidence, we know they have ability and we do back them.
"We have to give them the opportunity to come out and show what they can do in the last two Tests."
Boland's figures were the best innings figures by any Australian on Test debut in Australia since Albert Trott took 8-43 against England at the Adelaide Oval in January 1895.
The hosts posted a mammoth first-innings declaration total of 473-9 at the Adelaide Oval after Smith had stepped up as stand-in captain, following new Test skipper Pat Cummins coming into close contact with a positive COVID-19 case last Wednesday.
England could only muster 236 in response, despite 80 and 62 from Dawid Malan and captain Joe Root respectively, with Starc taking 4-37 from his 16 overs – only Nathan Lyon went at a lower economy (2.07).
Australia were again able to declare in the second innings, setting England an improbable 468 to win, before tearing through the tourists to leave six wickets required for victory on the final day.
Jos Buttler battled hard during a 207-ball stint but fell in unusual circumstances as he trod on his stumps going back to Starc, before Jhye Richardson fittingly sealed victory to complete his maiden five-wicket Test haul by removing James Anderson.
While Richardson managed a final-innings 5-42, Smith reserved special praise for Starc – who boasted 7-80 after two wickets in the second innings.
"Mitchell Starc bowled as well as he has for a long time, he led this attack well," Smith told reporters at the post-match presentation.
"He summed it up quickly that there wasn't a great deal of swing so he just wanted to bash a good length and hit some good areas - he did that as well as he has in his career.
"He looked in really good rhythm and I'm incredibly proud of the way he went about his business."
Australia have now won each of their last nine pink-ball Test matches, the only side with a perfect 100 per cent winning record, while England are winless in their last four day-night fixtures since last defeating West Indies in August 2017.
Smith, who fell seven short of a century in the first innings, was captaining for the first time since the 2018 ball-tampering scandal in Newlands and enjoyed his return to the helm, while hailing the performance of some England batters.
He added: "We weren't nervous. They showed some good resistance and fight. Jos played extremely well - it was an innings we haven't seen from him before, he's usually a bit of a dasher. He showed good fight, as well as [Chris] Woakes and [Ollie] Robinson.
"We felt there was time left and all it would take was a couple of good balls.
"I had fun this week as captain and did enjoy it. The guys played really well. We were able to control the game from the first day as Marnus [Labuschagne] and Davey [Warner] set it up with their partnership.
"So we were able to declare when we wanted and bowl where we wanted to bowl."
Australia and England will resume hostilities in the final Ashes Test starting on Friday in Hobart with the hosts 3-0 up after the Sydney Test ended as a draw on Sunday.
Starc has impressed during this series with 15 wickets from four matches, behind only spinner Nathan Lyon (16), at an average of 26.6. He has also been commendable with the bat, contributing 151 runs at 75.5.
Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser are in contention after unluckily losing their spots following good displays in the second Test in Adelaide while Scott Boland is likely to be available despite hurting his ribs in Sydney, but Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out due to his ongoing side injury.
Left-armer Starc has bowled the most overs of any quick in the series, clocking up 134.1 overs but brushed aside speculation of a rest.
"It's purely up to the selectors. I'm not looking for a break," Starc told reporters on Wednesday.
"It's the last Test match of an Ashes series at home. It's the pink ball too. I'd very much like to play.
"It's in the hands of the selectors. I won't be asking for a rest."
Starc's ability to swing the pink ball makes him an enticing prospect for the day-night Test, which will be the first ever played in Hobart.
The 31-year-old paceman took 37-4 and 43-2 across both innings with the pink ball in the day-night Adelaide Test last month.
"I think we saw in Adelaide the pink ball didn’t swing anywhere near as much as we've seen in the past," Starc said.
"It's likely going to be very different in Hobart. I've not played with a pink ball here. We'll have to have a look at the wicket and see what that's like. There's a number of factors [on selection].
"We'll be trying to carry on the plan of attack that we had in Adelaide and hopefully that's a positive result for us here this week."
England have been outclassed in the opening two Tests, suffering a 275-run defeat in Adelaide after a nine-wicket beating in Brisbane.
The tourists are without a win in 12 Tests in Australia – their joint-longest such run Down Under (also 12 between January 1937 to February 1951).
The third Test starts on Boxing Day at the MCG, with bowler Mark Wood revealing England have held "brutally honest" meetings before Saturday after disappointment last week.
Captain Joe Root also provided a scathing post-match summary of his bowlers repeating mistakes from four years ago and needing to be braver with their lengths, and batsman Malan knows it is now time for England to right their wrongs as they look to keep their hopes of regaining the urn alive.
"We've done a lot of talking," Malan told reporters. "When you lose there'll always be reports that people are at each other. There definitely isn't.
"One of the things we've been doing this series is a lot of chat amongst the players and encouraging players to challenge each other on a lot of things.
"We've had good discussions with the coaching staff and without the coaching staff. It's vitally important that we as players take responsibility.
"Ultimately we are the ones who walk onto the field. We get all the preparation and all the knowledge we need, it's up to us to put it in place. We haven't done that well enough.
"When we have those honest chats as players we feel we learn a lot more. Now it's about not talking any more, it's about putting it into play."
Malan has been one of England's standout performers so far, scoring 188 runs at an average of 47, with Root (175 at an average of 43.75) in close company.
However, England's next-best batter is all-rounder Chris Woakes (105), with the trio the only players to accumulate more than 100 runs from the first two Tests.
"Everyone is up for the challenge, everyone is really keen to face up to Australia," Malan added.
"We do it in white-ball cricket, we take them on, so hopefully we can get that mindset and not go into our shells and just try to survive, take the game to them.
"We are almost learning in Test matches because we haven't had that preparation. A lot of the guys haven't played in Australia so are trying to find ways of facing bowlers they haven't faced before but also to get used to bounce here.
"I know there's a lead-up to dismissals and how bowlers set you up, but a lot of our dismissals were probably soft in the sense that we could have left them. You still have to score, but it's about making the right choices under pressure, myself included.
"If you look at the way they have batted, the ones who have done really well, they've left really well so it's a good learning curve for us. Hopefully it's not too late."
Warner was in doubt for the blockbuster day-night showdown at Adelaide Oval, starting Thursday, after the opener did not bat or field in the second innings of Australia's nine-wicket rout of England in Brisbane last week.
But Warner – who scored 94 runs in the opening innings of the first Test – has been declared fit to play after Australia captain Pat Cummins confirmed his XI on Wednesday.
"He'll be right," Cummins told reporters. "He had a bat yesterday, batted with a bit of discomfort but knowing Davey, he's not going to miss this one. Once adrenaline and everything kicks in, [he'll be] a little bit sore but he'll be fine.
"It's one thing batting in the nets but another thing when you walk out and it's a packed crowd. I don't think he had any kind of painkillers or anything yesterday.
"He's played close to 90 Tests, I'm sure a lot of them have been played in discomfort or with [niggles] going into the game. He'll be fine tomorrow."
Meanwhile, Jhye Richardson will make his international return for Australia after replacing injured paceman Josh Hazlewood (side strain) – the only change to the starting XI.
Richardson got the nod ahead of Michael Neser for the pink-ball Test, having not featured for Australia in cricket's longest format since his debut in 2019.
The Australia attack will be licking their lips at the prospect of doing more damage with the pink ball, where they will be hunting what would be a sixth win in seven matches in the longest format in Adelaide.
No side has a better record than Australia's eight out of eight in day-night Tests, while England have lost three day-nighters out of four and their only victory was against West Indies in 2017.
Australia XI: Marcus Harris, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (c), Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon.
England were dismissed for only 147 on day one, and Australia put themselves into a commanding 196-run lead on Thursday.
Head (112 not out) scored the third-fastest Ashes century - reaching three figures off only 85 balls - to take Pat Cummins' team onto 343-7 at stumps in Brisbane.
Warner made an impressive 94 after being given a few lives, putting on 156 for the second wicket with Marnus Labuschagne (74) to put Australia in a strong position.
Labuschagne has now scored four half-centuries from five Test innings at the Gabba, with Warner having struck over 50 as an opener for a sixth time at the venue, with only Mark Taylor (eight) doing so on more occasions.
Speaking to Fox Sports, Warner said: "They did bowl well, didn't they? They were relentless.
"What an entertaining innings by Travis Head. We've got smiles on our faces. It's got to be up there for him personally. It was a tight battle with him and Uzzie [Usman Khawaja] but to come out the way he did... that's the Travis Head we know."
Warner's first near-miss came early on, when Ben Stokes bowled him but the all-rounder over-stepped.
"Obviously getting bowled off a no-ball - you've got to try and keep your feet behind the line as a bowler," Warner added.
"I thought I left very well. Everyone was talking about my form in the T20 stuff but when you're out of runs you deserve some luck."
Ollie Robinson was the pick of England's bowlers with 3-48, and the paceman felt his eventual dismissal of Warner had been a long time coming.
"I sort of felt like I was going to get him out every over to be honest," Robinson told Fox Sports.
"He left well in periods but I think he played at a lot of balls he could have left. So hopefully throughout the series I can get his number a bit earlier."
Reflecting on chances going down in the field, with Rory Burns' routine drop from a Warner edge a particular low point, Robinson added: "We did miss opportunities early on but on another day we could have had three or four early.
"It came out well. It felt like I was consistent and had a lot of play and misses. The closest thing we have [to the Gabba] is Headingley. It's nice to get that bit of extra bounce as a tall guy."
Robinson did pull up with an apparent hamstring issue, but revealed it was only a minor problem.
"It's okay," he said. "I came off for a bit of strapping, bit of maintenance but it's alright, rest up tonight and go again tomorrow."
The 35-year-old left-handed batsman has defied his age with the third most runs in this Ashes series after being Player of the Series as Australia lifted last month's T20 World Cup.
Warner was part of losing Australian touring Ashes parties in 2013 and 2015 and was tormented by Stuart Broad in 2019 when he was dismissed by the seamer seven times in 10 knocks, managing only 95 runs across the series which finished 2-2 with the visitors retaining the urn.
"James Anderson sets the benchmark for older guys these days, we look up to him getting on in our days," Warner told reporters.
"Winning the Ashes here was obviously a big one. We still haven't beaten India in India, that would be nice to do.
"And England away, we had a drawn series but hopefully if I manage to get that opportunity, I might think about going back."
The 89-Test veteran has scored 7,551 runs with 24 centuries but battled during the 2019 Ashes in England.
"In terms of 2019, it was obviously in England so he [Broad] was able to get the ball to come back into us and away from us," Warner said.
"For me it was one of those tours where I didn’t back my game plan and I went too defensive, and I didn’t attack. That was my fault, and he bowled really well.
"Out here, they have obviously picked Ollie Robinson for a reason... he’s averaging 21 with the ball, he’s had some success in England, he bowls a good line and length. I wouldn’t say I was surprised, they’ve done it before in Australia.
"They haven’t played both of them [Broad and James Anderson] too often here – you might see him [Broad] play next game, and maybe Jimmy misses it. I can’t worry what they’re doing, but from our perspective I think it’s great he [Broad] is not playing."
Warner also backed under-pressure opening partner Marcus Harris who scored a game-high 76 in the third Test at the MCG after managing only 38 runs in his previous four innings.
“His courage to keep fighting and working ways out to score runs when bowlers are bowling good lines and lengths, he fought it out really well and I’m really pleased for him," Warner said.
The hosts took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series after winning by an innings and 14 runs in the third Test at the MCG on Tuesday, skittling England for just 68 in their second innings, after which Root said it was "too soon to look at things."
The 30-year-old has been England's Test captain since 2017 after taking over from Sir Alastair Cook, and will lead his side out for a record 60th time in the fourth Test in Sydney, overtaking Cook's previous record of 59.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Woakes expressed his backing for Root, saying: "Joe is a great cricketer with a great cricket brain. Hopefully he can continue [as captain].
"We haven't been able to bat well around him. You'd expect us to probably put in a lot stronger performances than we have.
"I'm sure Joe will have many more years like he's already had and hopefully we can bat better around him."
England have averaged just 187.5 with the bat in six innings, failing to score more than 300 in any of the first three Tests down under.
Root has scored 1,708 runs in 2021, which equates to 26 per cent of his team's overall total, the highest proportion of any player for their respective team in Test cricket.
When asked if Root still has the backing of the team, Woakes said: "Absolutely."
The Warwickshire all-rounder was left out of the team for the third Test having taken a combined 3-228 with the ball in the first two Tests, although his batting average of 26.25 is England's third highest of the series behind only Root (42.16) and Dawid Malan (33.66).
The future of Chris Silverwood has also been called into question with the former England bowler winning just one of his last 12 Tests as coach.
"It's hard for us to focus on people," Woakes added when asked about Silverwood's position. "Who am I to talk about people's futures other than my own?"
Joe Root's side have been comfortably outplayed by Australia in the opening two Tests, most recently succumbing to a 275-run defeat in Adelaide after a nine-wicket loss in Brisbane.
Another crushing blow at the Adelaide Oval leaves England needing a minor miracle to overturn a 2-0 series deficit, the tourists now without a win in 12 Tests in Australia – their joint-longest run Down Under (also 12 between January 1937 to February 1951).
The third Test starts in Melbourne on December 25 and Wood hopes an in-depth chat between players, and an honest evaluation from Silverwood, after defeat in the second Test will leave England in better shape.
"We obviously review the game, chat about what we did well, what we didn't do well, but this time it was sterner from Chris Silverwood," Wood said.
"To hear [Chris Silverwood] speak like that – not because he's under pressure or anything – but to hear him speak like that rather than just being his usual coaching self, he was actually annoyed and wanted a change.
"Hopefully it comes at the right time for us to catch a spark.
"Stokesy [Ben Stokes] and Joe Root spoke to the group about… basically a bit of a kick up the bum saying 'this isn't good enough'.
"We've talked in-depth about how things can get better. Not just words or cliched words, we actually set out what we're going to do in Melbourne practice-wise, what we're going to do differently."
Wood did not feature in Adelaide despite impressing in the opening Test, with Stuart Broad and James Anderson leading the tourists' bowling attack in the latter pink-ball outing.
Right-arm paceman Wood is expected to return for the next Test to offer Root an alternate option to his attack after the England captain criticised his bowlers' lengths.
Root provided a scathing summary earlier in the week as he claimed his bowlers "needed to be braver" and had repeated mistakes from four years ago, but Wood believes his captain's words did not come across in "the way he totally wanted" to.
Wood added: "I don't think there's any friction between the bowlers and the captain. It's not like that at all."
Nevertheless, it is now or never heading into Saturday and the Durham quick believes England can still change their fortunes around.
"We've got to believe we can turn this round," Wood said. "We haven't shown our best stuff yet. We know that Australia have played really well. If we can match them then we believe we can win Test matches here.
"We've just got to up our game in all three areas. At the minute, Australia have scored 400 twice, we've had batting collapses and we've dropped catches.
"We've got facets of the game that need major work. We've now got a couple of days to stop thinking about cricket, get away in Melbourne and enjoy the lead-up to Christmas."
Thursday's action in the day-night contest was eventful to say the least, 17 wickets falling before Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill saw the hosts to their target of 49 runs in the final session under the floodlights.
India had also started proceedings at the crease, losing their final seven wickets for 41 as they slipped from 99-3 to 145 all out, Joe Root's maiden five-wicket haul seemingly putting the game back in the balance.
However, the metronomic Axar struck early and often as India seized control through their spinners. The left-armer dismissed both Zak Crawley and Johnny Bairstow for ducks in his first over of the innings as he picked up 5-32, giving him stunning match figures of 11-70.
Not to be outdone, Ashwin worked his magic once more to end with 4-48. In the process he surpassed 400 Test wickets, a feat only achieved by three other bowlers for India.
The efforts of the duo – fellow spinner Washington Sundar also claimed the final wicket of the innings – saw England skittled for 81 in 30.4 overs, their lowest total against India in the format.
Root – who had done so much to give his team hope in the opening session with 5-8 – battled hard to make 19 and, briefly, his partnership with Ben Stokes (25) suggested India may have more work to do in the final innings on a difficult surface.
Yet Ashwin crucially ended Stokes' counter-attacking knock and, having also bowled Ollie Pope (12), he reached his personal landmark when Jofra Archer was out lbw for a two-ball duck. In truth, England's tail had little hope of increasing their lead to give their own spinners any hope.
Rohit and Gill rushed the home team over the finishing line, the openers ending unbeaten on 25 and 15 respectively as India moved 2-1 ahead in the series with one Test to play.
Ashwin latest to join 400 club
Ashwin is just the 16th bowler to claim 400 Test wickets, doing so in his 77th appearance. His compatriots Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble – who sits in top spot on India's all-time list on 619 – and Harbhajan Singh have previously made it to the milestone.
Only Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan made to that number in fewer games than Ashwin, who now has 24 wickets in the series at an average of 15.70.
Tourists left in a spin
Thanks to a double century from skipper Root, England scored 578 in their first innings in the series. It was a mammoth total that set them up to secure an impressive victory in Chennai.
Since then, though, the visitors have amassed 669 runs in five innings combined, their best score in that period being 164. Facing a trial by spin, they have been condemned to a pair of heavy defeats that ends their hope of competing in the World Test Championship final on home soil.
Ashwin made 102, while Ravindra Jadeja ended 86 not out as the hosts finished the day at 339-6 in Chennai.
It looked set to be a difficult day for India, who were 36-3 inside the opening hour with Virat Kohli (six), Rohit Sharma (six) and Shubman Gil (0) all dismissed.
Rishabh Pant hit 39 while Yashasvi Jaiswal had a knock of 56 to steady the hosts at 144-6, before Ashwin and Jadeja took centre-stage.
Together, they put on 195 from 227 balls in an unbroken seventh-wicket stand to swing the momentum firmly in India's favour, with Ashwin reaching hs ton in just 108 balls.
"On a surface like this with a bit of spice, if you're going after the ball, you might as well go after it really hard," he said.
"It's the old Chennai surface with a bit of bounce and carry, and the red soil pitch allows you to play a few shots.
"If you're willing to just get in line and can give the ball a little bit of tonk, it really helps."
Data Debrief: Ton up for Ashwin as hosts break Mahmud's resolve
It looked like Hasan Mahmud would be the star on day one, with the Bangladesh seamer taking an impressive 4-58.
But Ashwin had other ideas on his home ground, with 10 fours and two sixes on the way to notching his sixth Test century, and second in as many Tests in Chennai.
Jadeja matched him with 10 fours and two sixes of his own, and is just 14 runs off claiming his own ton when play resumes on Friday.
The all-rounder trapped Jofra Archer lbw in England's second innings as he achieved the career feat in a low-scoring day-night match at the spectacular Narendra Modi Stadium.
Ashwin joins Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev and Harbhajan Singh on the distinguished list of those to claim 400 scalps in the longest format for India.
The 34-year-old is the 16th player to the milestone overall, getting there in only his 77th match. He is the second fastest to 400 too, behind only Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan in terms of games played.
Ashwin moved six wickets shy of the milestone by taking match figures of 8-95 in an emphatic defeat of Joe Root's side at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium last time out, having claimed 9-207 in the first Test.
He also struck a sublime century - the fifth of his career - in a magnificent man-of-the-match performance at his home ground in Chennai, where India levelled the series at 1-1.
After claiming 3-26 as the tourists were bowled out for 112 on day one of the game in Ahmedabad, Ashwin removed Ben Stokes and Ollie Pope before Archer became his 400th Test victim, given out for a two-ball duck after attempting a sweep shot.
Sachin Tendulkar - Test cricket's all-time leading runscorer - was quick to congratulate his compatriot on Twitter.
"Terrific consistency!" Tendulkar wrote. "Well done, keep it up. Joy to watch you bowl."
Moeen Ali breezed to a 19-ball half-century as the Super Kings raced to 75-1 at the end of the powerplay, but they did not capitalise on their early impetus in Mumbai on Friday.
Spinners Yuzvendra Chahal (2-26) and Obed McCoy (2-20) were the pick of the bowlers to peg back Chennai, with MS Dhoni (26) the only other batter to pass 20 in support of Ali (93) in the Super Kings' 150-6.
Jos Buttler fell for just two to Simarjeet Singh (1-18) in response, before Sanju Samson (15) followed to Mitchell Santner (1-15) and Ali bowled Devdutt Padikkal (3) to leave the Royals 76-3 in the 12th over.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal batted on as his partners fell, making 59 off 44 balls before being dismissed by Prashant Solanki, with Rajasthan requiring a further 47 to win from the last five overs.
Solanki soon added the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer (6) to his list of scalps, but Ashwin – promoted up the order – took charge of the chase to see his side over the line with two balls to spare.
Victory meant Rajasthan will have two chances in the playoffs to make the final on May 29. Lucknow Super Giants must settle for third place.
Ali efforts in vain
All eyes were on Buttler, who leads the run charts with 629 in this year's IPL, but it was England team-mate Ali who delivered a scintillating performance at the Brabourne Stadium.
The 34-year-old fell in the final over just seven short of a century after a tremendous 57-ball innings that included 13 fours and three sixes.
He then superbly posted figures of 1-21 with the ball from his four-over allocation – but his efforts ultimately proved in vain, with Ashwin's 40 from 23 proving decisive.
Chahal equals spin record
Chahal once again edged ahead of Royal Challengers Bangalore's Wanindu Hasaranga in the battle to be the competition's top wicket-taker.
The Royals' leg-spinner picked up two wickets, while going at just 6.5 an over, and equalled Imran Tahir's tally of 26 (in 2019) for the most wickets by a spinner in a single IPL season.
Ashwin dismissed Jofra Archer during a short-lived day-night match against England in Ahmedabad, in the process becoming only the fourth India bowler to reach the landmark.
The spinner joins compatriots Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev and Harbhajan Singh in the 400 club, while he is the 16th player to achieve the feat in the longest format.
Ashwin brought up the milestone in only his 77th match; there will surely be plenty more to come for the 34-year-old, too.
His standout numbers with the ball in the Test arena since making his debut versus West Indies in November 2011 make for impressive reading.
A five-star performer
Ashwin has taken 29 five-wicket Test hauls, a tally only six players have bettered: Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Richard Hadlee, Kumble, Rangana Herath and James Anderson.
The in-form Ashwin is just one shy of England seamer Anderson's total of 30, having taken 6-61 in the second innings of the first Test and 5-43 in the first innings of a second match India won emphatically to level the series.
While not quite able to add to the collection in Ahmedabad, he still finished the game with impressive match figures of 7-74.
Ashwin has taken six five-wicket hauls in as many Tests against New Zealand - more than any other side. He has claimed 10 scalps in a Test on seven occasions and seven in an innings five times.
A thorn in Australia's side
Ashwin has racked up 89 of his wickets against Australia, more than any other side.
They were taken in 18 matches at an average of 31.5, while he has also thrived against England over the years - taking 73 wickets at 32.2 apiece.
Ashwin has 39 Test wickets in Australia, more than any nation other than his homeland.
His best performance came in October 2016 against New Zealand in Indore, helping himself to match figures of 13-140 - including 7-59 in the second innings of a crushing 321-run win.
A liking for left-handers
Ashwin has had great success bowling at left-handers over the years.
He has dismissed a left-hander on 205 occasions, with his average against them at 19.5 compared to 31.2 against right-handers before play began in the third Test.
Ben Stokes is among the batsmen who has suffered at the hands of Ashwin the most; he has dismissed the England all-rounder 11 times in total.
Only Muralitharan managed to make it to 400 in fewer Tests and while Kumble's final total of 619 may be an ambitious target, it seems certain that by the time Ashwin decides to retire, India's newest member of the prestigious club will occupy at least second place on their all-time list for wickets.
Sri Lanka resumed play on Monday on 28-1 with the mountainous task of chasing down a target of 447, having been bowled out for 109 in their first innings in the day-night Test.
Dimuth Karunaratne (107) did at least give the tourists something to cheer as the skipper recorded a 14th Test century.
Yet his efforts were in vain as Sri Lanka crumbled to 208 all out, Ashwin taking four wickets to become the first bowler in Test Championship history to 100 as India claimed a 238-run success.
Kusal Mendis (54) was the sole batsman to provide Karunaratne with anything resembling significant support.
However, any hope of Sri Lanka even surviving the day went with Mendis when his partnership with Karunaratne was ended on 97 after being stumped by Rishabh Pant off Ashwin.
Only one other Sri Lanka batter, Niroshan Dickwella (12), reached double figures in the innings, Ashwin fittingly taking the final wicket when Vishwa Fernando top-edged him to Mohammed Shami.
Captain Rohit Sharma said of Ashwin: "It was personally my feeling [that he is an all-time great].
"Whenever we give him the ball, he comes up with match-winning performances. He's got a lot of years left in him. We have lots of occasions to look forward to."
Another stellar series for Ashwin
Ashwin's landmark performance also saw him finish with the most wickets (12) in the short series, in which he also bowled the most maiden overs (16).
Sri Lanka sorry with the bat
Sri Lanka's second-innings performance marked the first time in the series they surpassed 200, summing up their dismal form with the bat.
The hosts started the day with a lead of 144, not realising that would have been more than enough already, but added a further 79 as they were eventually all out for 400, in front by 223.
Victory for India was never in doubt, with the only debate around how soon the contest would be over.
Ashwin (5-37) then tore through the Australian top order with some unstoppable spin bowling, with the tourists skittled in their second innings for just 91.
After Saturday's action began, Ravindra Jadeja reached 70 before being bowled by Todd Murphy, while Axar Patel was finally sent back for 84 by Pat Cummins as India built a healthy lead.
Mohammed Shami added 37 from 47 balls before India set about trying to keep Australia from matching their efforts with the bat, and Ashwin set the tone as he got rid of Usman Khawaja for just five.
Jadeja trapped Marnus Labuschagne (17) lbw, while David Warner – who only scored two from his first 37 balls – hit back-to-back fours before also being dismissed via lbw by Ashwin for 10.
It was the start of an lbw bonanza for Ashwin, who repeated the trick to dismiss Matt Renshaw (2), Peter Handscomb (6) and Alex Carey (10) to claim five-for inside his first 10 overs bowled.
Not to miss out on the fun, Jadeja found the edge of Cummins to send the Australia captain back to the pavilion for just a single run, before Axar forced Murphy (2) to slice to Rohit Sharma for a simple catch.
Shami tidied things up, bowling Nathan Lyon (8) before trapping Scott Boland (0) lbw as India celebrated a surprisingly easy victory, leaving a partner-less Steve Smith not out on 25.
Ashwin stars again
It felt at times like Ashwin had a personal vendetta against any and all Australian legs that came along, spinning the ball into them with such regularity you were left wondering if you were watching another replay.
Having now taken 320 wickets on Indian soil, he has leapfrogged Shane Warne (319 wickets) to become the outright fifth leading wicket-taker in Test cricket in his home country.
Removal of Head decapitates Australian batting
The second innings capitulation was the second-lowest total from Australia against India in Test history (after 83 in Melbourne, 1981).
It will lead to questions again around the decision to leave out Travis Head despite his 525 runs at an average of 87.5 in his previous five Test matches, with his replacement, Renshaw, managing a total of two runs from his two innings.
India had resumed on 233-6 but their tail did not last too long in the opening session, the final four wickets going down for 11 runs as they were all out for 244.
However, the tourists hit back impressively with the ball, dismissing Australia for 191 despite a battling knock of 73 not out from home captain Tim Paine.
Needing to bat a short period under the floodlights prior to stumps, opener Prithvi Shaw fell to Pat Cummins for four as the tourists ended on 9-1, Mayank Agarwal not out on five with nightwatchman Jasprit Bumrah yet to get off the mark.
With a lead of 62 runs, India holds the upper hand. Still, their advantage should be even greater in the series opener, having seen a number of opportunities go begging in the field.
Virat Kohli's side lost two wickets in as many overs to start proceedings on Friday, Ravichandran Ashwin (15) and Wriddhiman Saha (9) departing early to Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc respectively.
The same bowlers claimed a further wicket apiece to wrap up the innings, Starc ending with figures of 4-53 as he equalled Richie Benaud's career tally of 248 for Australia. Cummins, meanwhile, finished with 3-48.
Australia's reply saw new opening pair Joe Burns and Matthew Wade fall cheaply – both to Bumrah – while Steve Smith managed just a single from 29 balls before he was dismissed by Ashwin.
Travis Head and debutant Cameron Green also fell to the spinner to leave the score at 79-5, though India's failure to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne on no less than four occasions allowed the right-hander to make a welcome 47.
Yet it was Paine who caused the most problems for the visiting attack, the wicketkeeper-batsman also dropped as he made the third-highest score of his Test career, hitting 10 boundaries in a 99-ball knock that saw him run out of support in the end.
Starc's run out for 15 did not help the cause - he was short when attempting a risky second - before Nathan Lyon became the fourth wicket for the impressive Ashwin (4-55).
Umesh Yadav (3-40) had Josh Hazlewood caught to wrap up the innings and, while Shaw failed to survive a difficult short session before stumps, India will be pleased with their overall position.
India declared on 276-7 in Mumbai on Sunday to set the Black Caps a highly improbable 540 to win, and the tourists are facing a crushing defeat in the second and final Test of the series after closing on 140-5.
Patel became only the third bowler to take all 10 wickets in a Test innings on day two and the New Zealand spinner finished with incredible match figures of 14-225, surpassing Ian Botham's 13-106 in Mumbai in 1989 as the best taken against India.
It was very much India's day once again, though, after Mayank Agarwal top scored with 62, having made a magnificent century in the first innings.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Shubman Gill made 47 apiece, while captain Virat Kohli chipped in with 36 before Axar Patel smashed an unbeaten 41 off 26 deliveries.
Ashwin (3-27) came to the fore yet again on a challenging surface after Kohli declared late in the afternoon session, removing openers Tom Latham and Will Young before sending Ross Taylor on his way.
Daryl Mitchell (60) played with great assurance as New Zealand moved beyond their embarrassing first-innings total off 62 all out until he holed out off the bowling of Axar and Tom Blundell was run out for a duck.
Henry Nicholls batted with admirable patience and was still there on 36 at stumps, but India are on the brink of gaining a measure of revenge for their defeat in the inaugural World Test Championship final.
Patel only second to Hadlee
Spinner Patel shot to prominence with his astonishing display with the ball in his city of birth on Saturday.
The 33-year-old tweaker's one-man show continued when he dismissed Agarwal and Pujara before Rachin Ravindra (3-56) became the first Black Caps bowler other than Patel to take a wicket in the match, Gill the man to become his first Test victim.
Only Richard Hadlee has claimed better match figures for New Zealand than Patel, when the legendary all-rounder took 15-123 against Australia in November 1985.
Ashwin ending memorable year on a high note
It has been an outstanding year for Ashwin, who followed up his devastating first-innings exploits by reaching the 50-wicket landmark for 2021.
The wily Ashwin took 4-8 on day two and the New Zealand batsmen struggled to read him once again, Latham pinned lbw before Young was caught at short leg and Taylor's positive approach did not pay off when he was taken by Pujara.
Mitchell and Nicholls made a fight out it in a stand of 73, but Ashwin looks poised to take yet another five-wicket haul with two days remaining.
Ashwin took 5-43 on a dramatic day two in Chennai, where the tourists were bowled out for only 134 in reply to India's 329 all out.
Virat Kohli's side were 54-1 at stumps – leading by 249 runs – and well on course to level the four-match series.
Ashwin generated huge turn and bounce, with the spinner's drift also causing the England batsmen all sorts of trouble.
Only the great Anil Kumble (350) has more Test scalps than Ashwin in India after the 34-year-old moved past Harbhajan's total of 265.
Ashwin vividly recalls watching Harbhajan take 15 wickets in Chennai to secure a series win over Australia 20 years ago, and expressed his pride after bettering the Indian great's tally of scalps on home soil.
"When I watched the 2000-01 series, when Bhajju Pa [Harbhajan] played, I didn't even imagine I would go on to become an off-spinner for my country," Ashwin said.
"I was still a batsman for my state. Trying to accelerate towards batting and playing for my country. I wasn't even sure I would go on to become a player for the Indian team.
"Lots of my team-mates from that age, from that generation, used to make fun of me because in my action I used to try to bowl like Bhajju Pa.
"From there on to come on and go past him has to be incredibly special. I didn't know of it. Now that I know of it, I am incredibly happy. Sorry, Bhajju Pa."
Ashwin put England under huge pressure in such tough conditions as he took his 29th five-wicket Test haul – putting him level with Glenn McGrath in seventh on the all-time list.
The wily Ashwin has now claimed the wickets of 200 left-handers in the longest format, a landmark he reached by bowling Stuart Broad.
