IND vs ENG: "Rohit bhai backed us.." Shubman Gill opens on up his match-winning 52* in Ranchi test

Shubman Gill’s unbeaten 52 helped India register a five-wicket win over England in the fourth test in Ranchi.

Indian batters Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel joined forces to help hosts register a five-wicket win over Ben Stokes-led England on day 4 of the fourth test in Ranchi. This result against England also meant India have sealed the series with an unassailable 3-1 lead with a game to spare in Dharamshala, starting on March 7, especially after losing the opening test in Hyderabad.

With this incredible win over England, the Indian side completed their 17th straight test series win at home. Meanwhile, this also means that this is the first test series defeat for England under the leadership of Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.

An unbeaten 72*-run partnership between @ShubmanGill & @dhruvjurel21 takes #TeamIndia over the line!India win the Ranchi Test by 5 wickets 👏👏Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/FUbQ3MhXfH#TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/ORJ5nF1fsF

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 26, 2024

But the visitors will take a lot of positives from the fourth test match in Ranchi as their off-spinner Shoaib Bashir’s picked up eight wickets in the match, including a five-wicket haul in the first innings.

Rohit Bhai backed us: Shubman Gill after scoring unbeaten 52 runs

Resuming day 4 at 40/0, India slipped from 84/0 to 120/5, including losing captain Rohit Sharma for 55. But Gill, who remained unbeaten on 52 and Jurel, who made 39 not out, kept their calm to stitch an unbroken 72-run partnership for the sixth wicket, to complete a tricky chase of 192.

During the post-match presentation, Shubman Gill credited Indian skipper Rohit Sharma for showing confidence and Gill also added that Rohit told them to play with freedom. The right-handed batter also opened up on Dhruv Jurel’s outstanding performance in the fourth test.

“We were put under pressure by them, but we got a good start by our openers, losing couple of wickets put pressure. But Jurel came out and took the pressure off. You have to see the situation and play accordingly – they were bowling well and protecting the boundaries, also not giving maidens and keep picking the singles (was the mindset). I just told him (Jurel) you batted beautifully in the first innings and to have the same mindset, try to use the feet to negate the off-spinner.” Gill said during post-match presentation.

“The way he came down and played was beautiful. The first innings the ball was not turning much and hence I didn’t use my feet, but second innings I decided to take the LBW out of the equation by using my feet. It means the world to us, coming here and having to play the series with not much batting experience, having lost KL after the first Test.. but Rohit Bhai backed us and gave us the confidence to go out and play with freedom,” Shubman Gill added.

India winning a series after being 0-1 down

• 2-1(5) vs Eng 1972/73
• 2-1(3) vs Aus 2000/01
• 2-1(3) vs SL 2015
• 2-1(4) vs Aus 2016/17
• 2-1(4) vs Aus 2020/21
• 3-1(4) vs Eng 2020/21
• 3-1(4*) vs Eng 2023/24

Indian batter Shubman Gill played a match-winning innings as he led his side to a series victory against Ben Stokes-led England. The right-handed batter smashed 52 runs off 124 balls and was one of the crucial members along with Rohit Sharma and Dhruv Jurel in a tricky chase of 192.

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. The hosts took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the ongoing test series after crushing Ben Stokes-led England by five wickets in the fourth test.

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