Ranchi, Feb 26: India won the Fourth Test by 5 wickets and took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series on Day 4 at the JSCA International Cricket Stadium, here on Monday.
Despite early jolts on Day 4 first session, Shubman Gill (52*) and Dhruv Jurel (39*) ensured that the hosts clinch a memorable victory at former Team India captain MS Dhoni's home ground. They shared a decisive 72 runs partnership for the 6th wicket. Druv Jurel, who scored 90 runs in the first innings and was unbeaten on 39, was adjudged Man-of-the-Mach.
Chasing a target of 192, India however, lost captain Rohit Sharma (55), Yashasvi Jaiswal (37), Rajat Patidar (0), Ravindra Jadeja (4) and Sarfaraz Khan (0) before Gill and Jurel stood tall to fashion a superb Test win.
Resuming from 40/0 on fourth day, it was a gripping first session where India were initially ahead, thanks to Rohit’s fifty and him sharing an 84-run opening stand with Jaiswal.
But Joe Root, Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley took a scalp each as India slipped from 84/0 to 100/3. Gill and Jadeja looked tentative, but managed to hold their ground for 45 minutes till Lunch arrived.
In the morning, Rohit took India past fifty by timing a lofted flick off Anderson over wide long-on for six. He and Jaiswal would take a boundary off Bashir, before the latter survived an lbw appeal off Hartley.
Jaiswal collected a few fours via reverse-sweep, sweep and cut before his attempt to clear extra cover off Root resulted in a thick edge caught by forward diving short third man.
Rohit reached his fifty off 69 balls with a brace off Hartley, but was stumped on 55 after being drawn out of the crease by the flighted and wide ball from the left-arm spinner.
Bashir joined the wicket-takers column by getting some turn and drift to catch the inside edge of Patidar and the ball lobbed to short leg taking a catch to his right, with the batter dismissed for a six-ball duck.
From there, England kept Gill and Jadeja on a tight leash and would fancy their chances for an unlikely win after taking three wickets in 16 balls of the first session to derail India’s morning.
With the final Test to be played, Team India with 3 wins from 4 Tests so far, have not only clinched yet another Test series victory at home, but have maintained their enviable red-ball format record in India.
The series victory is also vital for India, as they are without some of their regular Test stalwarts like Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, K L Rahul, old warhorse duo of Cheteswar Pujara and off-colour former vice captain Ajinkya Rahane.
India lost the first Test in Hyderabad by 28 runs. But regrouped and bounced back strongly to clinch three successive victories in Visakhapatnam (106 runs), Rajkot (434 runs) and Ranchi (5 wickets).
Ranchi Test victory was extra special, because it was the first time in the ongoing five-match series that a side batting second, could chase a target and post a win.
The Ranchi win also marked Dhruv Jurel's remarkable performance, maturity and application as a Test keeper. The 23-year-old proved he is someone, who is ready to deliver at the highest levels not only with super gloves-work, but as a much sought after middle-order batsman.
It would be interesting to see if India rest their pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and a few other seniors in Dharamsala Test, which begins on March 7.
Brief Scores:
England 353 & 145;
India 307 & 192/5.
India won by 5 wickets, lead 5-match series 3-1.
Man-of-the-Match: Dhruv Jurel.
Final Test in Dharamsala from March 7.
