IND vs ENG, 4th Test: India vs England, Fourth Match - Who Said What?

In a recent turn of events, India clinched the series victory against England with a remarkable five-wicket win in the fourth Test at the JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi. The series, which saw India bouncing back after an initial setback in the opening Test, now stands at 3-1 in favour of the home team.

The fourth Test commenced with England winning the toss and opting to bat first. Despite Zak Crawley's solid start, Akash Deep's impressive bowling performance kept England on their toes. Even with Joe Root's unbeaten century, the English side posted a competitive total of 353 runs. The duo of Akash Deep and Ravindra Jadeja played a pivotal role in restricting the opposition.

India's reply in the first innings faced hurdles against England's bowling attack, with only Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel offering resistance. They were eventually bowled out for 307 runs, with Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley making notable contributions for England. The second innings witnessed a collapse for the English side as Ravichandran Ashwin spun a web, claiming a fifer (5/51). Setting a target of 192 runs for India, the stage was set for a gripping chase.

In the pursuit of victory, India's top order, led by Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, laid a solid foundation. Despite a late resurgence from England's bowlers, Shubman Gill's unbeaten half-century steered India to triumph. The target was achieved with five wickets in hand, sealing a comprehensive win in the fourth Test and securing the series for India.

Also Read: Shubman Gill reveals Dravid's inspirational words after passing Ranchi spin test

As we all reflect on this series, key performances from Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel in the crucial moments played an instrumental role in India's success against the Ben Stokes-led England side. The series win is not just a statistical triumph but a testament to the resilience and determination of the Indian team. 

Losing Captain, Ben Stokes, England said: 

I think it was a great Test match. If you see the scoreboard, it'll say India won by 5 wickets, but it doesn't give credit to the way things unfolded, the ebbs and flows on every single day it happened. I can only be proud of my team, we 've had some inexperienced spinners (Bashir and Hartley), but I'm proud of their efforts, they came here without a lot of exposure and the way they kept bowling, I can't ask for anything more. Part of my captaincy is allowing the young guys to revel and the freedom to play in some difficult and intimidating conditions in India.

I am a massive Test cricket fan, the numbers of youngsters coming along in both teams sets things up nicely for the future of Test cricket. If you look yesterday, anything was possible, it was incredibly difficult batting against the spinners (Ashwin, Jadeja and Kuldeep), scoring became difficult and so was rotating the strike.

We knew the pitch wouldn't get any better, as we saw today. I don't think the criticism of Joe Root has been fair, the sheer amount of cricket he's played, got 12,000 Test runs. He's incredible. So is Bashir, what a story, what a journey, taking 8 wickets including a 5-fer against India after having hardly played a lot of cricket is superb. You want to win series, you want to play and win cricket matches. I've been here for a couple of years (as captain) and my message is simple. The only thing I can say is we left nothing on the field, we've fought hard and I'm happy with that.

Also Read: IND vs ENG: Yashasvi Jaiswal smacks most sixes in a Test innings, levels with Pakistan legend

 Winning captain, Rohit Sharma, India said: 

It has been a very hard fought series without a doubt and to come on the right side of it at the end of four Test matches feels really good. Really proud of everyone in the dressing room. They were a lot of challenges thrown at us but I thought we responded pretty well. We had different challenges in different Test matches and I thought we were quite composed in what we wanted to achieve and what we wanted to do on the field, very happy. Clearly tells me they (youngsters) want to be here, all the hard work they have done in the past, coming up playing domestic cricket and performing there, coming here it is a big challenge but when I look at them, talk to them and the responses that I get from them is quite encouraging.

My job and Rahul Bhai's job is to give them the environment they want to be in and they don't feel too much about going out there and getting the job done, they want to get the job done but there's no point to keep talking about it or reminding them about it because they are very clear in what they want to do. Jurel playing his second Test showed solid composure, calmness and he's got the shots as well to play all around the wicket. The first innings 90 of his was very crucial for us to get close to that England's total and again in the second innings showed lot of maturity, composure along with Gill. It is not pleasing when you miss your key players, but you can do nothing as a group. Those guys (Kohli and Co.) are proven players in every condition and to come in and fill their shoes was not easy for these guys.

There was pressure from the outside not inside but I thought they responded very well to all the situations. When you make a mark like that, it holds you in good position to have a long career. Performances like this will motivate them and make sure whenever the opportunity comes they are ready for it. We turn up for every Test wanting to win no matter what has happened in the past. Obviously this has been a great series but we want to make sure we turn up for that (Dharamsala Test) game and put our best foot forward. Some of these guys were not used to playing a 5-match series but they have showed a lot of calmness and composure. I am confident we will put up the same show as the last three Test matches.

 Player of the Match, Dhruv Jurel, India said: 

I play according to the demands of the situation. The 1st innings, we needed to get runs as well, we knew we had to bat last and so any runs would be vital. I was involved in some partnerships, so credit does go to all those who stayed and added runs. I just saw the ball and then reacted to it, not thinking too far ahead. The conversation was good (with Shubman Gill in the 2nd innings), we just broke it into 10-run sets and started developing the partnership.

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