The India-England cricket excitement continues with the last Test held at HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala, starting Thursday, March 7. This stunning location presents England with a chance to regain respect and collect 12 World Test Championship (WTC) points, despite India already winning the series 3-1.
England drove India into a corner numerous times throughout the Test series, but the hosts were usually ready to respond. The circumstances at Dharamsala may provide Ben Stokes and his men with a sense of familiarity, giving them the best chance to test Rohit Sharma and his team one more time in the series.
Dharamsala has only hosted one Test match before the forthcoming one. It was the final Test of another series, and an opposing squad battled India in their own territory.
India clinch series with eight-wicket win over Australia in Dharamsala Test in 2017
The 2017 Border-Gavaskar Trophy was like an arm wrestling, with Australia and India pushing each other back throughout the series. It was somewhat natural that Dharamsala was the location for the probable finale of the four-game series, with the score at 1-1 entering that game.
The team faced a big challenge. Their star player Virat Kohli was injured. He hurt his shoulder in the last Test in Ranchi. Ajinkya Rahane became the temporary leader. He made a choice for India. They would use a new bowler, Kuldeep Yadav.
Australia won the toss, and Steve Smith did not hesitate to bat first. At 144/1, the visitors threatened to bat the hosts out of the Test, but Kuldeep made an immediate impression on his debut. His 4/68 stats ensured that, despite Smith’s century (111), Australia were bowled out for 300 in their first innings.
Even though the home team’s batters couldn’t hit high scores, important runs were scored. KL Rahul made 60, Cheteshwar Pujara scored 57, and Ravindra Jadeja earned 63. This led to a small lead of 32 runs. Losing the toss was tough. Yet, this lead felt like a win for Rahane’s team.
In their second innings, Australia was bowled out for 137 after being put under constant pressure by superb Indian bowling. Umesh Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja all claimed three wickets each.
Despite being in the fourth innings, the aim of 106 looked unlikely to pose a challenge to the hosts. Rahul scored another half-century, while Rahane’s cameo of 38* off 27 balls ensured there were no snags. The win insured that Australia would not reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
