The Indian cricket team on Monday registered a five-wicket win against England to seal the five-match Test series. India’s home supremacy weathered the ‘Bazball’ storm as Rohit Sharma‘s men secured a hard-fought five-wicket win over England in the fourth and penultimate Test for a 17th consecutive series triumph in their own backyard in Ranchi on Monday, handing a harsh reality check to the visitors’ unidimensional approach. Overnight 40/0 in a chase of 192 here, India romped home after surviving a few hiccups with the opening duo of skipper Rohit Sharma (55 off 81 balls) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (37 of 44 balls) providing the perfect platform for others to build with their 84-run stand on day four of the match.
After the win, Virender Sehwag took a dig at England. “Karlo Entertainment, England. Jeet jaisi boring cheez Bharat, Australia, New Zealand kar lenge (Focus on entertainment, England. Meanwhile, India, Australia, New Zealand will do boring things like winning),” he wrote on X
Karlo Entertainment ,
England.
Jeet jaisi boring cheez Bharat, Australia, New Zealand kar lenge . pic.twitter.com/srREBULvXl
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) February 26, 2024
There were some jitters after the two departed in close succession followed by Rajat Patidar and Ravindra Jadeja‘s dismissal but Shubman Gill (52 not out) and Dhruv Jurel (39 not out) guided the side past the finishing line with an unbeaten 72-run partnership.
Left-arm spinner Tom Hartley (1/64) took the prized scalp of Rohit, while Shoaib Bashir was the most successful English bowler, scalping 3/79 in the second innings for a match haul of eight wickets.
India lead 3-1 in the series with the last game scheduled in Dharamsala from March 7. The team’s last home series loss was a 1-2 defeat to an Alastair Cook-led England in 2012-13. Since then, India have won 39 out of 50 Tests at home.
The host team’s victory marked a stunning downfall for ‘Bazball’, which has been a much-hyped winning mantra for England since 2022 and is now facing all-round criticism for being too rigid and lacking in depth.
Conceptualised after the appointment of Brendon McCullum as coach and Ben Stokes as captain, England’s plan to attack irrespective of circumstances found its match in the unflappable approach of the Indians.
While the visitors remained stubborn barring the conservative hundred by veteran Joe Root here, the Indians adapted and refused to be bogged down by setbacks.
The opening loss in Hyderabad was expected to unsettle the home side which was already without superstar Virat Kohli, out due to personal reasons, and the injured K L Rahul.
On the contrary, the team was galvanised by the arrival of rookies, who grabbed their opportunities with both hands.
Whether it was batter Sarfaraz Khan in Rajkot or wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel and pacer Akash Deep here, the team gained from the infusion of fresh energy.
Jurel was a key factor in ensuring series-deciding win with his gritty 90-run knock in the first innings and the solid cameo in the second essay — both efforts coming in high-pressure situations.
With PTI inputs
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