Rajkot: In a stunning turn of events on the fourth day of the Rajkot Test, England faced a crushing defeat as they crumbled for 122 in pursuit of a formidable 557 set by India. Ravindra Jadeja emerged as the hero, following up his first-innings century with a spectacular five-wicket haul, propelling India to their biggest Test win by runs – a commanding 434-run victory.
The day began with Shubman Gill aiming for his second century of the series, only to be dismissed nine runs short through an unfortunate run-out. However, the real spectacle unfolded in the post-Lunch session as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan wreaked havoc on the English bowlers. Jaiswal, who retired hurt with a back spasm on Day 3, showed no signs of discomfort as he smashed his way to a stunning double century, equaling the record for the most sixes in a Test innings. Jaiswal also became only the third Indian to score back to back double hundreds in tests. Sarfaraz complemented the onslaught with aggressive stroke-making, contributing to a massive lead of 556 before Rohit Sharma declared.
Facing a daunting target of 557, England’s fourth-innings prowess was put to the test, but they couldn’t withstand the spin assault from Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and R Ashwin. Jadeja, in particular, was instrumental, taking crucial wickets and finishing with a fifer. England’s woes were compounded by their missteps in running between the wickets and their struggles against the sweep shot.
The final session saw England lose wickets in quick succession, with Jadeja dismissing Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow, and Joe Root. Kuldeep Yadav accounted for Ben Stokes, pushing England to a precarious 50 for 6. Despite a brief resistance from Mark Wood, who scored an entertaining 33 off 15 balls, Jadeja completed his five-wicket haul by dismissing Wood, securing India’s comprehensive victory.
With the Rajkot test victory, India takes a coming from behind 2-1 lead in the five match home series with the next encounter set to take place at Ranchi from February 23.
India’s dominance with both bat and ball, coupled with England’s inability to counter the spin, resulted in a memorable Test win for the home side. The victory showcased India’s depth in talent and their ability to dominate the proceedings, leaving England to ponder their strategy ahead of the next encounter.
Brief Scores:
- India: 445 (Rohit Sharma 131, Ravindra Jadeja 112, Sarfaraz Khan 62; Mark Wood 4-114) & 430/4 decl. (Yashasvi Jaiswal 214*, Shubman Gill 91, Sarfaraz Khan 68*)
- England: 319 (Ben Duckett 153; Mohammad Siraj 4-84) & 122 (Mark Wood 33; Ravindra Jadeja 5-41, Kuldeep Yadav 2-19)