Former English cricketer and national team captain Michael Vaughan has heaped praise on the Indian team following their five-wicket win over England in the fourth Test at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi. The victory saw India take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the Test series with one more Test to go, which is set to be played at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala from March 7. India have a lot of inexperienced players to thank for rising to the occasion against a tough English team led by the charismatic Ben Stokes and coached by the revolutionary Brendon McCullum.
“5 world class players missing. Losing the Toss, deficit in the 1st innings. Full credit to India. That’s a very impressive test victory, a lot of new young Indian players are arriving and will be around for a long time,” Michael Vaughan tweeted on X (formerly Twitter), reserving special mentions for India’s young and inexperienced core that came to the fore so many times during the series.
Indeed, India were without so many big-time regulars for the entirety of the series, which includes names like Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, and Rishabh Pant. Other players that missed a few games due to injury or were entirely ruled out include KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Ravindra Jadeja. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah, who was the highest wicket-taker in the series with 17 scalps heading into the fourth Test, was rested for the crucial game in Ranchi.
Let’s not forget that the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, two veterans who formed integral parts of the Indian middle-order in the last decade, missed their first big Test series at home since they broke into the side. Their experience and skill would have surely helped India in testing situations against England, and there were many of those throughout the series.
However, India’s young brigade ensured that the absence of the regulars or more experienced players wasn’t felt. Yashasvi Jaiswal is having a record-breaking series, having already equalled Virat Kohli for the most runs scored by an Indian in a home Test series (655 and counting) with one Test to go. The southpaw looks unfazed in the middle and it’s hard to believe that he had played just four Tests prior to this series.
On the other hand, Shubman Gill silenced all his naysayers by thriving in this series. The pressure was on him and he was even given an ultimatum by the team management. For a player whose spot in the XI was in danger, and who had been experiencing his leanest form yet in a relatively short international career, Gill proved his mettle and announced himself as a dependable figure in the team.
Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan made it to the team midway in the series and cashed in on the opportunities right at the offset. The latter scored two fifties in two innings on his debut, while the former played a match-saving 90-run knock in the Ranchi Test.
The future certainly bodes well for the Indian team in what has been an absorbing Test series so far. To see how the players reacted in testing situations will only give them more confidence to achieve greater things moving forward.
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