Gritty knocks by Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel after Rohit Sharma's defiant half-century on a minefield in Ranchi helped the hosts take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the ongoing five-match series against England on Monday, February 26.
Team India defeated the Three Lions in the fourth Test by five wickets and are now leading the series with a solitary match slated to be played at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala from March 7 onwards.
Dhruv Jurel, who was playing in just his second Test match compiled a magnificent knock of 90 off 149 deliveries to rescue India from a precarious situation and ensured that the deficit after the completion of the first innings was reduced to its bare minimum.
Jurel struck six fours and four maximums during his 149-ball knock and missed out on his maiden international hundred by a whisker. The hosts put together a spirited performance with the ball in the second innings and turned the game around its head as Ravichandran Ashwin bagged 5/51 and Kuldeep Yadav claimed a four-wicket haul to skittle England for just 145 in the second innings.
India kicked off their pursuit of 192 in an aggressive manner as they knocked 40 runs off the total in the last session on day three in just eight overs.
Day four began resoundingly for the hosts as the pair of Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal added 44 more runs to the overnight score to settle the early nerves of a tense run chase. However, England fought back strongly and claimed five wickets in quick succession to make a strong comeback.
India went from 84 for no loss to 120 for five and the sudden collapse put the visitors on top. Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan failed to contribute to the team's total as they registered ducks and India, at one stage, were gaping at a potential loss.
With 72 more to get and just five wickets in hand, the Rohit Sharma-led side needed a sturdy partnership and Shubman Gill along with Jurel provided the same. Both batters batted with caution and rotated the strike to fend off the pressure. The Gill-Jurel pair stitched an unbeaten 72-run stand for the sixth wicket to seal the game in India's favour. Gill remained unbeaten on 52 whereas Jurel scored 39 with aplomb.
