India clinched the Ranchi Test on the fourth day, taking an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series against England. This win marks the first Test series loss for the Brendon McCullum-Ben Stokes era. The partnership between Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel was instrumental. It helped India overcome a nervy start to the day, ultimately leading to a memorable five-wicket victory.
The day began with India at 40/0, and openers Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal set the tone for the innings. Sharma, with a spectacular six off James Anderson, and Jaiswal, showcasing his range of strokes, added 84 runs for the first wicket.
England found a way back into the game by dismissing Jaiswal, who mistimed a shot off Joe Root to backward point. Sharma’s departure, followed by Rajat Patidar’s duck, saw India slipping from a comfortable 84/0 to 100/3.
Post-lunch, India faced more setbacks with the wickets of Ravindra Jadeja and Sarfaraz Khan. It put England in a strong position. However, the tide turned with Gill and Jurel at the crease.
Their partnership revitalized the Indian innings. Both batsmen navigated the spinners expertly, keeping the scoreboard ticking. Gill showed commendable maturity and Jurel built on his impressive first-innings 90. Their common efforts steered India closer to the target.
Gill’s fifty, highlighted by his first boundary off his 120th delivery, and Jurel finishing the job in the following over, underscored the duo’s contributions. The final scorecard read England 353 & 145, falling to India’s 307 & 192/5. From the English side, here were notable performances from Joe Root and Zak Crawley. R Ashwin’s five-wicket haul in England’s second innings was a special moment for India.
This victory not only underlines India’s dominance at home. It is a reflection time for England, who has been riding high under the aggressive cricket philosophy of McCullum and Stokes.
India’s win reaffirms their status as formidable opponents in the Test arena. They are a team capable of staging comebacks and executing clinical finishes, as demonstrated in Ranchi.
Brief scores: England 353 (Joe Root 122*; Ravindra Jadeja 4/67) & 145 (Zak Crawley 60; R Ashwin 5/51) lost to India 307 (Dhruv Jurel 90; Shoaib Bashir 5/119) & 192/5 (Rohit Sharma 55, Shubman Gill 52*; Shoaib Bashir 3/79) by five wickets.
