IND vs ENG: "Lower-order deserves credit," Dhruv Jurel reacts after winning MoTM in 4th test

Dhruv Jurel was named Man of the Match for scoring 90 and 39* in the fourth test in Ranchi.

Indian youngsters Shubman Gill and Dhurv Jurel‘s incredible effort with the bat took the Rohit Sharma-led side across the finishing line as the hosts sealed the ongoing five-match test series with a victory by five wickets in the fourth test against Ben Stokes-led England at the JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi on Monday.

Earlier in the match, England won the toss and elected to bat first. Joe Root’s 122* propelled the visitors to a score of 353. In reply, India succumbed to a score of 177/7 but Jurel and Kuldeep Yadav stitched up a 76-run stand to take the hosts to a competitive score of 307.

England walked out with hopes of taking a strong lead, but Indian spinners led by Ravichandran Ashwin restricted the hosts for 145. While chasing 192 runs, Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal showed signs of taking the game away.

The opening duo added a 84-run stand before Jaiswal was dismissed by Joe Root for 37 runs. Rohit went on to complete his fifty but was caught behind, while Rajat Patidar’s misery continued as he got dismissed for a six-ball duck.

Indian batters Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel’s unbeaten 72-run stand in the second innings played a crucial role after England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir took quick wickets at the start of second session.

However, Shubman Gill’s unbeaten 52 runs and Dhruv Jurel’s 39* guided Rohit Sharma-led India to a five-wicket win over Ben Stokes-led England

Credit does go to lower-order: Dhruv Jurel after receiving MoTM vs England in fourth test

Playing just his second test match, Jurel made a career-best 90 runs in the first innings of the Ranchi test, which kept India in the game and also narrowed the deficit to 46. On day four’s play, he combined with Shubman Gill to stitch an unbroken 72-run match-winning stand for the sixth wicket to help India get over the line in a chase of 192.

Wicket-keeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who was adjudged Player of the Match in India’s hard-fought five-wicket win over England in the fourth test at the JSCA International Stadium, said his efforts have always been to do as per the demand of a particular situation in the match. Jurel also added that he was involved in some partnerships with lower-order batters hence, the credit goes to all who stayed and added runs.

“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 with lower-order batters, 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,” Dhruv Jurel said after receiving Player of the Match award during the post-match presentation after fourth test.

The hosts India took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the ongoing test series after crushing Ben Stokes-led England by five wickets in the fourth test. With this stunning win, India are all set to overtake Australia to become the No. 1 ranked test side after sealing the IND vs ENG five-match test series in Ranchi.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.