No Virat Kohli, no Cheteshwar Pujara, no Ajinkya Rahane: India Cricket Team played the IND vs ENG Test series without their mainstays of batting. They were off to a losing start in Hyderabad. But Rohit Sharma & Co have fought back to win three matches in a row to seal the series in Ranchi. Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar heaped praise on the young guns after Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel rescued India from a tricky situation to help the side win.
“India once again came back from a pressure situation and fought back to win the match. It shows the character and the mental strength of our players,” Sachin Tendulkar wrote in Twitter post.
Youngsters shine in series win
India had to hand four debuts during the series. And everyone played their part. Debutant pacer Akash Deep bowled a terrific spell while Dhruv Jurel, playing only his second Test, bagged the Player of the Match award. Jurel played a fantastic 90-run knock and then scored another valuable 32 to stitch together a 72-run stand with Shubman Gill. From 112/5 in 192-chase, that became crucial.
“A great first spell in Test cricket for Akashdeep. Dhruv Jurel was terrific at reading the length in both innings and his footwork was precise. His partnership with Kuldeep Yadav kept us in the game in the 1st innings, and his knock in the 2nd innings helped us sail home. Kuldeep’s spell in the 2nd innings was vital,” Sachin Tendulkar said.
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But the pressure was on the seniors to perform after Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja had a mixed bag in the series.
Ashwin was the first to fire, bagging 35th Test fifer to bowl England out for 145 in the 2nd innings. Ravindra Jadeja bagged four wickets in the 1st innings to rattle the visitors. Rohit Sharma scored an outstanding half-century to lead India’s chase of 192.
“Seniors like Ashwin, Jadeja and Rohit did their jobs. Shubman showed great temperament in curbing his instinct in the chase and scored an important 50. So happy that the match as well as the series is ours,” Sachin Tendulkar added.
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