India Clinches Unbeatable 3-1 Series Lead with Gritty Performances

Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel's gritty knocks following Rohit Sharma's gutsy half-century on a minefield in Ranchi helped the hosts grab an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the ongoing five-match series against England on Monday.

Team India defeated the three Lions by five wickets in the fourth Test and currently leads the series with a single match scheduled to be played at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala beginning March 7.

Dhruv Jurel, who was playing in only his second Test match, struck a superb performance of 90 off 149 deliveries to save India from a precarious scenario and guarantee that the deficit after the first innings was reduced to a minimum.

Jurel hit six fours and four maximums in his 149-ball knock, missing out on his first international century by a whisker. In the second innings, the hosts put up a spirited display with the ball and turned the game around, with Ravichandran Ashwin taking 5/51 and Kuldeep Yadav taking four wickets to reduce England to 145.

India began their pursuit of 192 aggressively, knocking 40 runs off the score in the last session of day three in only eight overs.

Day four began resoundingly for the hosts, as Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal added 44 runs to the overnight score, calming the early fears of a tough run chase. England, on the other hand, rallied back forcefully, taking five wickets in a row to complete a successful recovery.

India went from 84 for no loss to 120 for five, and the unexpected collapse put the visitors ahead. Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan did not contribute to the team's total, scoring ducks, and India was on the verge of losing.

With 72 runs to score and only five wickets in hand, the Rohit Sharma-led team required a strong partnership, which Shubman Gill and Jurel supplied. To avoid pressure, both batters batted cautiously and varied their strikes. The Gill-Jurel partnership put up an undefeated 72-run stand for the sixth wicket to seal the game in India's favor. Gill stayed unbeaten at 52, while Jurel scored 39 with ease.

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