NEWS
Follow UsRohit Sharma was a happy and relaxed man after India chased down a target of 192 on a tough Ranchi surface on Monday (February 26) and took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series. In the absence of some of the senior players, the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel stepped up and gave Ben Stokes his first series defeat as captain.
India lost the first Test but bounced back in Visakhapatnam to level the series. They were in a peculiar position at the end of day two of the third Test but came back brilliantly to hammer England by 434 runs. Something similar happened in the fourth Test, with England dominating the first two days before India bouncing back and getting the win.
Chasing a target of 192, India were reduced to 120/5 but that’s when Shubman Gill (52*) and Dhruv Jurel (39*) showed tremendous courage and put on a match-winning 72-run stand. Even in the first innings, Jurel scored 90 to make sure England didn’t get a big lead.
“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. There were a lot of challenges thrown at us but I thought we responded pretty well,” said Rohit who himself scored 55 and put on 84 runs for the opening wicket with Yashasvi Jaiswal.
“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 (the young players) want to be here. All the hard work they have done in the past, coming up playing domestic cricket and performing there, coming here 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 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.”
Talking about Jurel’s contribution in the match, Rohit added: “Jurel playing his second Test showed solid composure and 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 a lot of maturity and composure along with Gill.”
India have an impeccable record at home but they were up against a much more experienced England side, with the likes of Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami and Rishabh Pant not being available. KL Rahul played the first Test but has been out since then because of an injury. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah was rested for this encounter.
“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 a 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.”
India might have won the series but Rohit doesn’t want his team to take the foot off the pedal, with one more game to go in Dharamsala. “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.”
