The recent five-match Test series saw India triumph over England, winning 4-1. England started strongly. They clinched victory in Hyderabad’s first Test by 28 runs. Cricket enthusiasts predicted a tight competition. However, England lost the subsequent four Tests, leading to a surprising end.
After the lost first game, India bounced back. They narrowly won by 106 runs in Visakhapatnam, evening the score to 1-1. The next game took place in Rajkot, expanding India’s win by a whopping 434 runs. England was left in a dire situation; they had to win the fourth Test in Ranchi to retain any hope of winning the series.
Instead, they lost by five wickets. The tourists were no match for India at Dharamsala, losing by an innings and 64 runs.
While the final scoreline may seem that the series was one-sided, both teams’ batsmen delivered outstanding performances. We choose the top five knocks from the India-England series.
#5. Ben Duckett (153)
England opener Ben Duckett appeared to be in fine form throughout the series, but he struggled to convert starts. His greatest performance in the series came in Rajkot, where he smashed 153 off 151 in pure Bazball flair. England were replying to India’s first innings total of 445, and Duckett’s century placed them on track to get close to India’s score.
In an exciting performance, the left-handed hitter smashed 23 fours and two sixes before chipping a straightforward catch to cover the bowling of left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav. The remainder of England’s hitters struggled, as the visitors were bowled out for 319.
Despite the setback, Duckett’s knock stood out as one of the rare times Bazball made its presence known.
#4. Ollie Pope (196)
Ollie Pope’s 196 in the inaugural Test in Hyderabad was without a doubt the visitors’ best batting effort of the trip. After England lost a big first-innings lead of 190 runs, Pope produced a magnificent effort in the second innings, pulling England back into the game.
He hit 21 fours in 278 balls, with his reverse sweeps being the highlight of his innings. India had no answer to Pope’s brilliance and lost the Test match despite controlling the first half. Pope, on the other hand, struggled in the last four Tests, failing to reach a half-century. He had ducks in both innings in Ranchi.
#3. Dhruv Jurel (90)
In only his second Test match, young Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel scored a courageous 90 in the first innings at Ranchi. The knock occurred with the hosts’ backs to the wall. After England batted first and scored 353 runs thanks to a Joe Root century, India fell to 177/7.
An optimistic England appeared poised to take a commanding lead, with only Jurel and the tail to deal with. However, young Jurel shown wisdom beyond his years and rescued India from a precarious situation. He remained at the crease for 149 balls and formed key partnerships with Kuldeep and Akash Deep.
Thanks to Jurel, India cut England’s first-innings advantage to 46. The keeper-batsman also struck 39* in the second innings, with India in difficulty. Without the 23-year-old, the series may have ended 2-2 heading into Dharamsala.
#2. Rohit Sharma (131)
Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain, led from the front in the third Test at Rajkot. Batting first after winning the toss, the hosts were in deep danger at 33/3, with Yashasvi Jaiswal (10), Shubman Gill (0), and Rajat Patidar (5) all back in the pavilion. Rohit hadn’t done much with the bat in the first two Tests, but he stepped up for the team at a critical moment.
The Indian skipper and Ravindra Jadeja (112) scored 204 runs for the fourth wicket, putting the hosts in a good position. Rohit scored 131 off 196 balls, with 14 fours and three sixes. His batting performance was a clever combination of attack and defense. India scored 445 runs and won the Test by 434 runs.
#1. Yashasvi Jaiswal (209)
After England grabbed a commanding 1-0 lead in the five-match series, India needed someone to counterpunch early in the second Test in Visakhapatnam. Young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal took it upon himself to ensure that the visitors would not capitalize on their success in the first Test.
Yashasvi Jaiswal score 209 off 290 balls to lead India to a competitive 396 after winning the toss and batting first. Yashasvi Jaiswal hit 19 fours and seven sixes in his superb performance, giving India a much-needed lift following the surprising result in Hyderabad.
The hosts went on to win the Visakhapatnam Test by 106 runs and never looked back thereafter. at the following Test at Rajkot, Yashasvi Jaiswal too struck a double hundred. Yashasvi Jaiswal concluded the series with 712 runs at an average of 89 and Yashasvi Jaiswal was deservingly named Player of the Series.
