Another Test series in India and the hosts clinch it in fashion. The India Cricket Team now remains unbeaten in 17 Test series in home. A gritty 5 wicket win in the IND vs ENG Ranchi Test to seal the series 3-1 with an unassailable lead. Tasked to chase down 152 runs on the Day 4, England made a strong comeback. But Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel stood firm to help the hosts see out the match.
India started Day 4 on a bright note. Both Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal began scoring runs in a flurry. Rohit Sharma took charge and hammered a fine fifty to set the pace of the game. But then England fought back. Joe Root struck first to scalp Yashasvi Jaiswal who managed to score 37 runs.
Soon after Rohit Sharma had to depart. Tom Hartley cleverly trapped and bamboozled the Indian skipper. Up next, Rajat Patidar’s poor form continued. He didn’t trouble the scoreboard and departed for a duck. Gill and Jadeja played cautiously before lunch was taken.
Post lunch, a hungry England enforced their charge. On came Shoaib Bashir and the youngster bagged Ravindra Jadeja and Sarfaraz Khan in back to back deliveries as the tides of the game changed hands.
India however found respite when Dhruv Jurel came to bat. The youngster looked confident and kept rotating the strikes regularly to keep the scoreboard ticking to register a 50+ run stand. With Gill anchoring England continuously felt pressure. But ultimately the duo fended off the charge to seal a shaky yet comfortable win for the hosts.
Earlier in the Test match, Joe Root’s blazing 122 helped England amass 353 in the first innings. India suffered initial hiccups, before Dhruv Jurel’s heroic 90 reduced deficit. India managed a respectable 307 run score in the their first innings. But the hosts shone brightly later on.
India bowled out England for just 145 runs in their second innings setting themselves a target of 192 runs to win the Test match. It was a showdown for the spinners as Ashwin bagged a fifer while Kuldeep managed to scalp a fou-fer. India will take on the Three Lions for the 5th and final Test match of the series in Dharamsala. The match is slated to commence from 7th March.