INDvENG: Ranchi conquered! Series bagged! Rohit stars in tricky chase to take India 3-1 up!
Read it in Hindi.
Read it in Marathi.
The Plato quote - ‘We are twice armed if we fight with faith’ - was coherent as India turned the tables to secure a five-wicket triumph over England on a tricky Ranchi wicket on Monday.
Just when England seemed to gain the early momentum with Joe Root’s century in the first innings and Shoaib Bashir’s five-wicket haul, the hosts rode on the committed displays of debutant Dhruv Jurel (90 and 39*), the spin department - Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja - and Rohit Sharma’s half-century in the run chase to ensure India clinched a third-successive series win on home soil.
Here are the key highlights of the Test match that ensued at Ranchi.
Root hands England early momentum
England won the toss and raced to a first innings score of 353, thanks to Joe Root’s unbeaten 122 from 274 deliveries. Despite the visitors’ slight onslaught with the bat, hosts India ensured they would remain in the contest as Ravindra Jadeja grabbed 4/67 and debutant Akash Deep claimed three wickets for 83 runs.
Jaiswal, Jurel bring India back into contention
Yashasvi Jaiswal extended his authoritative run in the IND vs ENG Test series to 655 runs in eight innings, with a measured knock of 73. His effort would propel Dhruv Jorel to script a morale-boosting fightback into the Test.
Batting at number seven, the wicketkeeper-batter brought maturity, fighting spirit and character to the fold with 90 runs on the board that catapulted India to a first innings total of 307. This score came after withstanding the bowling prowess of Shoaib Bashir (5/119) and Tom Hartley (3/68).
Ashwin’s 35th Test fifer and a target of 192
England carried a 46-run lead into the second innings, but their happiness didn’t last long. The experienced spin pairing of Ravichandran Ashwin (5/51) and Kuldeep Yadav (4/22) dismantled the visiting batting order within 53.5 overs.
On a record-breaking spree in the series, Ashwin added a new feather to his cap as he equalled Anil Kumble’s record of most Test fifers by an Indian (35). But what sets Ash apart is that he’s achieved the feat in just 99 Tests!
The Hitman pulls out his special act
Rohit Sharma set the tone for the 192-run chase with a composed 81-ball 55, which was laced with five boundaries and one maximum. This innings saw the Hitman notch three feats - 1,000 Test runs against England, 4,000 Test runs and 9,000 First Class runs, before he passed the baton to Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel to put the finishing touches.
Gill stamped his ground with a patient 52 runs in 124 deliveries while Jurel - the hero of the Indian batting in the first innings - hit the winning runs and remained unbeaten on 39. His batting performance pivoted India to win their seventh series after being 0-1 down and making it 30 wins from 33 matches for India when chasing under 200 at home.
Brief scores: India 307 (Dhruv Jurel 90, Yashasvi Jaiswal 73; Shoaib Bashir 5-119) and 192 for 5 (Rohit Sharma 55, Shubman Gill 52*, Dhruv Jurel 39*; Shoaib Bashir 3-79) BEAT England 353 (Joe Root 122*, Ollie Robinson 58; Ravindra Jadeja 4-67) and 145 (Zak Crawley 60; Ravichandran Ashwin 5/51, Kuldeep Yadav 4/22) by five wickets.