Youngsters Dhruv Jurel and Shubman Gill overcame a tricky period of play to see India through to a 5-wicket win.
Youngsters Dhruv Jurel and Shubman Gill overcame a tricky period of play to see India through to a 5-wicket win over England on Day 4 of the Ranchi Test and thus seal the series with an unassailable 3-1 lead. India, who went into stumps overnight at 40/1 and needed to knock off another 152, lost four wickets for 21 runs and seemed rocked, before Jurel and Gill saw took them over the line with an unbeaten 72-run partnership.
Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel ensured India did not collapse. (AP)
Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal struck half-centuries, and got India off to a brisk start, but with both openers dismissed in a span of 15 runs, India were dealt a wake-up call. Shoaib Bashir had Jaiswal tempted into play a loose aerial drive before Tom Hartley foxed Rohit Sharma out stumped. Rajat Patidar’s tough time continued as he was out for a duck, and things went from bad to worse for India as after lunch Bashir added two more, dismissing Ravindra Jadeja and Sarfaraz Khan off consecutive deliveries.
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India needed Jurel, facing the hat-trick ball, to produce a repeat of his heroics from the first innings, and he did exactly that. His partner Gill, was troubled early on, and with both spinners settling on a nice, testing line and length, both batters decided to bat themselves in. It meant that for 31 overs, India went without a single boundary and the scoring-rate dipped.
But with time, they continued to take singles and bring the target down gradually. Finally, with 20 needed to win, Gill upped the ante, smacking Bashir for back-to-back sixes and getting to his half-century – his second fifty of the series to go with a 100. And when there were 6 needed to be knocked off, Jurel pulled a four and completed a couple of runs to cap off a brilliant come-from-behind win for India.
