Rohit Sharma’s men produced a scintillating performance to crush England by 434 runs in the third Test in Rajkot.
Team India’s win in the third Test of the series against England showed the prowess of India’s young batting brigade. Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed a double century in the second innings, debutant Sarfaraz Khan notched up brilliant half-centuries across both innings and Dhruv Jurel, also making his debut, marked the occasion with a classy display of batsmanship and a game-changing run out in England’s chase. Additionally, Shubman Gill also played a crucial 91-run knock in India’s second innings as the side clinched a mammoth 434-run win in Rajkot.
India’s captain Rohit Sharma (R) celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of England’s Ollie Pope during the second innings in 3rd Test(AFP)
Ahead of the Test, Virat Kohli was confirmed to remain absent throughout the series, and KL Rahul was also ruled out with a calf injury. Additionally, Shreyas Iyer was dropped, and KS Bharat had been underperforming with the bat. The result? India took the field with two debutants: Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel. Yes, the duo arrived in the XI on the back of solid domestic performances, but nothing beats experience.
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Despite the concerns, the young Indian batting lineup outclassed the ‘Bazballers’, displaying an aggressive brand of cricket while ensuring they played to the situation, too. While the first innings did see India’s top-order collapsing and veteran pros Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja steering the sinking ship, Sarfaraz Khan contributed brilliantly in the lower-middle order to take India’s score past 400.
In the second innings, Jaiswal’s fiery knock blew England away, as the youngster smashed an unbeaten double century – his second in successive Tests. Sarfaraz and Gill notched half-centuries as India posted a daunting 557-run target for England; the visitors were wrapped up inside two sessions, being dismissed on a paltry 122.
Jurel, who scored a composed 46 in the first innings, was crucial to kickstarting England’s collapse in their run-chase, as he inflicted the run out on Ben Duckett with a brilliant show of athleticism.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma was over the moon with the batting effort from the inexperienced lineup and had a brilliant reaction following the end of the Test. Taking to his official Instagram account, Rohit wrote, “Ye aajkal ke bacche (Kids these days),” stressing the young batters’ aggressive mindset against a formidable bowling attack.
The win eased the pressure off Rohit, too, as he had been under the scanner for his indifferent form in the longest format. Rohit endured low scores in the first two Tests but produced a stellar knock in adverse conditions; with India reeling at 33/3 in the first innings of the Rajkot Test, Rohit showed admirable grit and composure to notch a century, eventually scoring 131.
With the big win over England, India lead the five-match series 2-1. The action will now shift to Ranchi, where the fourth Test begins on February 23.
