It was a beautiful Sunday for India as they stopped England’s audacious pursuit of an extraordinary victory after winning the fourth Test with a five-wicket victory. India’s effort prevented the fifth Test from being a decider game, as they have now won the series with 3 victories. 

The encounter unfolded with India asserting early dominance, steadily inching towards their target until a sudden flurry of wickets rocked their progress.

The dismissals of Yashasvi Jaiswal for a well-fought 37, Rohit Sharma for a determined 55, and Rajat Patidar without scoring injected an electrifying sense of urgency and tension into the atmosphere, momentarily shifting the momentum in favor of the visitors.

Shoaib Bashir’s sharp performance had England hopeful for a minute as he rattled India’s middle order with two quick wickets in consecutive deliveries. With India teetering at five down and still requiring 72 runs for victory, the prospect of an improbable England win seemed within reach.

However, Shubman Gill’s composed unbeaten half-century, ably supported by Dhruv Jurel’s gritty innings of 39 not out, steered India back on course, guiding them to a hard-fought win.

Despite Bashir’s heroics briefly igniting hopes of a miraculous turnaround, India’s resolve proved unyielding. With this hard-earned victory, India clinched the series with an insurmountable 3-1 lead, further enhancing their illustrious unbeaten home record dating back to 2012.

Meanwhile, England was left to grapple with the disappointment of suffering their first series defeat under the leadership of Ben Stokes.

Attention will now be given to the fifth and final Test, which begins on March 7th. Even though the winner has emerged, the fifth Test still offers both teams a chance to prove something, as England would avoid going home with one victory in the series, while India may be determined to make their victory more resounding by winning the final Test. But whichever way it goes, both teams have played their best, and the series has been as exciting as it could possibly get. 

Leon Osamor