India sealed a series win against England with a 5 wicket victory in the 4th test match at Ranchi. The win came off the back of a clinical batting performance on the fourth day of the Test by captain Rohit Sharma, Shubhman Gill and Dhruv Jurel.
India now lead the 5 Test match series, 3-1, ensuring they will take home the series regardless of the winner of the last match in Dharamsala. This is the team’s 17 consecutive series win at home. The last time a side was able to beat India in a series on their home soil was back in 2012/13 when England won 2-1.
The win didn’t come easy however, as it required an unbeaten 72-run partnership between Gill and Jurel in testing conditions. Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley really put the Indian batters under pressure in their second innings, inflicting a flurry of wickets in a quick succession. The youngsters Gill and Jurel were able to take in the pressure and fought hard to stay at the crease and guide their team home.
Jurel ended up with the Man of the Match award for his unbeaten 39 in the second innings and 90 in the first.
Match Summary
England won the toss and elected to bat in humid conditions in Ranchi. It wasn’t long until Akash Deep was able to strike, removing opener Ben Duckett for just 11. Ollie Pope didn’t last long, only staying at the crease for two balls before being caught leg before by Akash Deep.
Joe Root then joined Crawley in the middle to start England’s comeback into the match. Root was able to score a brilliant 122 which rescued England and put pressure back on India. Ben Foakes and Ollie Robinson chipped in down the order with 47 and 58 respectively. England ended up with a total of 352 runs in their first innings.
Akash Deep was the pick of the bowlers with 3 wickets for 83 runs, dismantling the England top order. Ravindra Jadeja was able to clean up the lower order and ended with 4 wickets, while Mohommed Siraj picked up 2.
The Indian first innings got off to a disastrous start for the home team as captain Rohit Sharma fell for just 2 to James Anderson. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubhman Gill were able to steady the ship after the early wicket however, putting on a partnership of 84. Gill eventually got out for 38 and Jaiswal for 73.
There wasn’t much to speak of from the Indian middle order with the exception of keeper Dhruv Jurel who anchored the innings with 90 runs. Kuldeep Yadav was able to stay with him, scoring a 131-ball 28. In the end, India were bowled out for 307 and England kept a lead of 46 going into the second innings.
Shoaib Bashir had 5 wickets and Tom Hartley had 3 to lead the English bowlers. James Anderson had 2 wickets, including the important wicket of Rohit Sharma.
England seemed to be going well in the second innings, led by Zak Crawley but collapsed from 4-110 to 8-133. There was very little resistance from the middle order of England as Ashwin was able to pick up 5 wickets for just 51 runs. Kuldeep Yadav also had a great outing, taking 4 wickets for 22.
England could only muster 145 runs which left India with a target of 192 runs to win the match and the series.
Rohit Sharma got them off to a good start with a quick half century which put the English on the back foot. He was able to put on 84 runs for the opening wicket with Jaiswal which put India firmly in control of the match.
Shoaib Bashier didn’t give up though, bowling a brilliant spell which took India from 2-99 to 120-5. Under pressure, the Indians once again looked to young wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel to settle the innings. He didn’t disappoint, scoring an unbeaten 39 with Gill to seal the match and bring India home.
In the end, India won rather easily with 5 wickets to spare and a full day in time. The next match in Dharamsala will likely feature a number of new faces with the series already in hand for the home team.
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