Ranchi: A composed partnership between Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel helped India overcome a nervy period on day four to seal a convincing victory in the Ranchi Test. With this win, India takes an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series.
India, resuming at 40/0, started strongly with openers Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal putting on a confident 84-run stand. However, Jaiswal’s dismissal followed by the quick wickets of Rohit and Rajat Patidar created a brief period of anxiety for the hosts.
The tide turned when Gill and Ravindra Jadeja steadied the ship before lunch. However, Jadeja’s dismissal followed by Sarfaraz Khan’s unfortunate inside edge left India with much to do. Jurel, who played a crucial role in the first innings with a brilliant 90, once again rose to the occasion, providing crucial support to Gill.
Despite losing partners at the other end, Gill displayed remarkable maturity, anchoring the chase. He reached his fifty off a patient 120-ball knock, while Jurel finished things off in style, securing a well-deserved victory for India. English spinners kept hitting the right length and took advantage of the fourth day pitch to not let the batters score easily. Shoaib Bashir bagged 3 wickets while Tom Hartley and Joe Root captured one each.
Earlier on Day 3 of the test, India bundled out England for 145 runs in their second innings with its spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin (5/51), Kuldeep Yadav (4/22) and Ravindra Jadeja (1/56) wreaking havoc and scalping all 10 opposition wickets. For the visitors, opener Zack Crawley (60) could hit a half century while others failed to face the Indian spin on a tricky Ranchi pitch.
Brief Scores:
England: 353 (Joe Root 122*; Ravindra Jadeja 4/67) & 145 (Zak Crawley 60; R Ashwin 5/51); India: 307 (Dhruv Jurel 90; Shoaib Bashir 5/119) & 192/5 (Rohit Sharma 55, Shubman Gill 52*; Shoaib Bashir 3/79)
Result: India win by 5 wickets and take a 3-1 lead in the series.