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India beat England by five wickets in the fourth Test of the series against England at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Monday, February 26. With the triumph, the hosts clinched the five-match series 3-1, extending their winning streak in home Test series’ to 17.
Set to chase 192 for victory in the Ranchi Test, India began Day 4 at their overnight score of 40/0. Openers Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal took the team total to 84 before the latter was dismissed for 37, caught at backward point, while looking to go after Joe Root. Skipper Rohit also fell for 55, caught behind off Tom Hartley’s bowling.
England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir dismissed Rajat Patidar (0), Ravindra Jadeja (4) and Sarfaraz Khan (0) to leave India a spot of bother at 120/5. However, Shubman Gill (52* off 124) and Dhruv Jurel (39* of 77) held their nerves and added an unbroken 72 for the sixth wicket to take India home
There were plenty of positives for India from the hard-fought win in the fourth Test in Ranchi. However, despite the series-winning triumph, some concerns remain. We list three of the major ones.
#1 India’s struggles against inexperienced England spinners
While India did well enough to win the Test series, there have been a number of instances where the batters from the home team have looked ineffective against England’s inexperienced spinners. And, to be fair, the pitches haven’t been rank turners, although there has been the usual wear and tear on the surfaces.
In the first Test in Hyderabad, left-arm spinner Tom Hartley ran through India’s batting with figures of 7/62 in the second innings. India’s batters had their phases of struggle in the second Test in Visakhapatnam as well, but some individually brilliant performances pulled them through.
It was only in the third Test in Rajkot that India came up with a completely emphatic performance to seal a record 434-run triumph. In Ranchi, 20-year-old rookie off-spinner Bashir, playing in only his second Test, troubled India’s batters a lot, claiming five wickets in the first innings and three in the second. Hartley also had his moments in the game, although he was not as successful with regard to wickets.
Even if one takes into consideration the fact that India are themselves without a few of their experienced batters, they could still have done a better job considering the series is being played at home. At times, India’s batting has made England’s spin bowling department look a lot more stronger than it actually is.
#2 Rajat Patidar’s poor form
The form of batter Rajat Patidar is also a big concern for India. He has just not looked the part in the Test series against England. The 30-year-old batter made a decent start to his Test career, scoring a resolute 32 in his first innings in the Visakhapatnam Test. He was bowled in unfortunate fashion as he defended a delivery from leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed. The full delivery bounced a little extra and somehow trickled back onto the stumps.
Luck has deserted Patidar since that dismissal in Visakhapatnam. In his next five innings, he registered scores of 9, 5, 0, 17 and 0. It's not just the low scores, but the manner of dismissals that have been hugely disappointing. In the third Test in Rajkot, he just chipped deliveries to fielders, unsure of which shot to play. In Ranchi as well, he looked all at sea against spin, and was undone by the off-spin of Bashir in both innings.
It would be fair to say that, unlike Sarfaraz and Jurel, Patidar has failed to grab his opportunities. As such, he will most probably have to make way if KL Rahul is declared fit for the fifth and final Test of the series in Dharamsala, which starts on March 7.
#3 Rohit Sharma’s soft dismissals
Indian captain Rohit has not had a bad series with the bat. He scored a crucial hundred in Rajkot and an important fifty in the second innings in Ranchi. However, Rohit’s consistency in Tests continues to baffle. If we analyze his stats in the ongoing series against England, he has registered scores of 24 & 39 in Hyderabad, 14 & 13 in Visakhapatnam, 131 & 19 in Rajkot and 2 & 55 in Ranchi.
For a player of his caliber and experience, the manner in which he has been dismissed on a few occasions has been highly disappointing. Rohit has been found wanting more than once when the ball has been in the channel outside off stump.
The 36-year-old batter's footwork remains uncertain even after all these years. On Monday in Ranchi as well, he played a nothing shot to be caught behind off Tom Hartley. He had misjudged the ball so badly that he would have been stumped by a distance had he not nicked the ball.
It would be unfair to be too critical of Rohit as 297 runs in eight innings at an average of 37.12 are decent returns. But, the Indian skipper would be the first to admit that he is a much better player than that.
