Picture : BCCI / X
England Skipper Ben Stokes and his Bazball strategy failed to deliver 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.
Overnight 40/0 in a chase of 192 in Ranchi, 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.
𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 🙌#TeamIndia 🇮🇳 register their 17th successive series win at home 👏👏#INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/Bh4Tf3H9mz
— BCCI (@BCCI) 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.
Dhruv 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.
