A gritty India overcome a tricky English bowling attack and an unpredictable Ranchi pitch, to pull off a five-wicket win in the fourth Test to win the five-match series 3-1, with one Test to go.
Chasing 192 in the second innings, Shubman Gill (52*) and Dhruv Jurel (39*) put on a match-winning partnership of 72 runs for the sixth wicket on day 4, to guide India home. At one stage, India had lost three wickets in the space of 20 runs, with Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan both falling to spinner Shoaib Bashir for nought. Ravindra Jadeja (4), too, was dismissed by Bashir. But Gill and Jurel ensured that India suffered no further setbacks.
Earlier, Rohit Sharma's fifty was instrumental in India reaching 118/3 at lunch. The skipper (55 off 81) looked in his usual attacking mode and hit a swat-flick off James Anderson en route to his 17th Test fifty.
England bowlers failed to get under the skin of Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal (37 off 44) after they resumed the day at 40 for no loss chasing 192.
The duo shared an 84-run stand before part-time off-spinner Joe Root (1/21) broke the partnership, dismissing Jaiswal. The young southpaw failed to control his inside-out shot and James Anderson pulled off an absolute stunner with a forward diving catch at backward point.
Thereafter, left-arm spinner Tom Hatley (1/40) took the prized scalp of Sharma.
He came down the track only to be beaten by the flight and spin from Hartley and Ben Foakes did the needful behind the stumps. Though he was way out of the crease, he was adjudged caught behind after getting a faint tickle on the way to the wicketkeeper.
The last Test will be played in Dharamsala from March 7.
It is India's 17th consecutive series win at home. The team's last home series loss was a 1-2 defeat to an Alastair Cook-led England in 2012-13. Since then, India have won 39 out of 50 Tests at home.
(With PTI inputs)
