Shoaib Bashir (3-79) finishes with eight wickets in just his second Test match; the 20-year-old took two in two balls as India slipped to 120-5 after a middle-order collapse of 5-36; Shubman Gill (52no) and Dhruv Jurel (39no) steer hosts to series win with decisive sixth-wicket stand
Tuesday 27 February 2024 18:34, UK
India clinched a series win over England as they edged out Ben Stokes side by five wickets in a thrilling finale to the fourth Test in Ranchi.
England had threatened a remarkable comeback win as they reduced their hosts to 120-5, chasing 192, shortly after lunch on day four when the superb Shoaib Bashir (3-79) took two wickets in two balls.
But, just as in the first innings, India wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel (39no) chipped in with another vital contribution and his unbroken 72-run partnership with Shubman Gill (52no) for the sixth wicket proved decisive.
Gill, who had dug in for 119 deliveries without a boundary, suddenly put an end to proceedings as he smashed Bashir for a pair of sixes in the same over to bring up his match-winning fifty before India ticked off the eight remaining runs required without alarm.
India had appeared to be cruising to their victory target when, having resumed the morning on 40-0, openers Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal progressed their partnership to 84 without loss.
England, in their desperation, threw the ball to Joe Root (1-26), who had the golden touch by dismissing Jaiswal for 37 with his third ball of the day - the 41-year-old James Anderson taking a terrific diving catch at short third.
Rohit (55) continued to look untroubled at the other end, bringing up a 69-ball fifty, before Tom Hartley (1-70) claimed the crucial breakthrough, tempting the Indian captain into a feathered edge behind.
That wicket swiftly brought another, with Rajat Patidar's dismal form in the series continuing as he bagged a six-ball duck, popping one up to Ollie Pope at short-leg in Bashir's next over.
Gill and Ravindra Jadeja (4) dug in through to lunch but, in the second over after the interval, Jadeja's patience was broken as he picked out Jonny Bairstow at midwicket off a full toss, gifting England their fourth.
That became five a ball later as Pope pocketed another to see off Sarfaraz Khan, Bashir bagging an eighth of the match in only his second Test and suddenly on a hat-trick.
The 20-year-old bowled about as good a hat-trick delivery as he could have hoped for, very nearly squeezing one between Jurel's bat and pad.
But, just as momentum appeared to be with England - India going 31 overs without a boundary off the bat - Jurel and Gill gradually wrestled the initiative back in India's favour with their stubborn stand.
It proved to be Jurel's second match-altering knock of the Test after his 90 in the first innings helped limit England's lead to just 46 when they'd seemed set to earn a sizeable advantage heading into day three.
It's another case of what could have been for the tourists following three-straight defeats in which they've had their opportunities in all three matches.
As a result, India take the series, holding an unassailable 3-1 lead heading into the final Test in Dharamshala next week.
England captain Ben Stokes:
"It was a great Test match. When you look at the scorecard and it says India won by five wickets, it doesn't give enough credit to the game as a whole - the amount of ebbs and flows.
"I've got to give so much credit to our spinners, to come out and give that performance throughout the whole Test match but particularly today.
"Being exposed to a situation like that, at such an early stage of their careers, it was incredible. I couldn't be more proud of those two in particular, but also the whole team through the week and what they've thrown at India.
"Shoaib Bashir, I mean what a story and what a journey. Coming here and getting his first five-wicket haul as a professional in a Test match against India - wow. The sky is the limit for that guy.
"You come into the series and you obviously want to win. I've been here for two years and my message is consistent.
"It's the input, not the output. Everyone is committed and we have never left anything out on the field. That's all you can ask for."
Former England seamer Steven Finn on TNT Sports:
"The game was not lost today. It was lost yesterday.
"India have to be given a lot of credit for their resilience to fight their way back into the game from the position they found themselves in on day two.
"The collapse of five wickets for 36 runs through the middle order would've set panic in the dressing room. There was a period today where I truly believed England would win that. You just felt as though they were circling and that they were really potent.
"You had two young, inexperienced spinners hold their nerve in the fourth innings when your team were behind the game going into what proved to be the final day.
"England did a really good job to make this game last as long as it did. It just took some real class from Gill and Jurel to see them off."
Follow over-by-over text commentary from the fifth and final Test between India and England, in Dharamshala, live on skysports.com and the Sky Sports App from 3.30am on Thursday, March 7 (first ball at 4am).
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