India's largest test cricket victory, that too, in the absence of senior players, with debutants, defeating a team, England that had previously beaten them once, is indeed a special page in the history book of Indian cricket. And it is made even more special by Captain Rohit Sharma naming the heroes of the match- Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel, both young and inexperienced, playing an international match for the first time. (More Cricket Team)
India bowled out England for just 122 after setting a 557-run target in the fourth Test to go 2-1 up in the five-match series in Rajkot.
The visitors emerged victorious in the first test match, with India losing by 28 runs in Hyderabad. With revenge in mind, secured a 106-run victory over England in the 2nd Test in Vizag. And, in the third test in Rajkot, India chose to rewrite the record, achieving their biggest test win in terms of runs, defeating England by 434 runs.
This is what India's captain Rohit Sharma said after the historic win, “Obviously it's a very good feeling to win a game like that, especially with such a young team as well. (We had) two debutants (Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel) and not a lot of Test matches amongst the playing eleven as well,”
“A lot of these guys are learning from the experience that they're having in the middle. We got to learn a lot about how we played in Hyderabad and then in Vizag when we won.”
Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jerul made their international cricket debut in India's third test match against England, and they certainly proved it to be the wisest choice. They made India's skipper proud, as he believed that India's situation was challenging due to injuries to senior players. Despite this, the debutants delivered an outstanding performance, which was instrumental in securing a significant victory.
When it comes to the runs they achieved, Sarfraz Khan, who took over for captain Rohit Sharma, scored 62 runs in 66 deliveries, including nine boundaries and a six in the initial innings. In the second innings, the player from Mumbai scored an unbeaten 68 runs in 72 balls, hitting six boundaries and three sixes for India against England in the third match.
Meanwhile, Dhruv Jurel, who took the place of KS Bharat, scored a brave 46 on the second day of the third match against England, while contributing 77 runs for the eighth wicket alongside Ravichandran Ashwin.
“We knew it's not going to be an easy one for us to just come out here and win the series. We have (had) to work really, really hard, especially with a lot of our front-line players missing as well,” Rohit said.
“A lot of credit to these young boys who have come in and showed a lot of character. Looks like they actually belong here and they want to stay here as well,” he added.
The entire time, Sharma's ecstasy was visible when he explained how surprising it was to end the game this quickly on the fourth day, adding that India wanted to have a certain number of overs available to bowl England out and not a particular target.
“I thought the game will go on to the fifth day. We had only 40 overs to bowl today. We thought 130 overs to get them out will be quite comfortable for us. That's probably (was) the reason,” he said.
“It was not more than the runs, it was more of how many overs do we need to get them out. That was the decision that was taken. By no means I expected that we'll get over by this evening,” he added.
Ravichandran Ashwin Glorified By Rohit Sharma For His Return In 3rd Test
Rohit said losing Ravichandran Ashwin after the second day’s play was ‘difficult’ but praised the ace India spinner for joining the team back on the fourth and final day following a medical emergency in his family.
“When you lose your most experienced bowler, especially in the middle of the Test match, it's not easy. But everything was (at a) side, family comes first,” Rohit said.
“When we heard the news, there was no second thought in our mind that he should do what he feels is right. He wanted to be with the family, which is an absolutely right thing to do and good on him to actually make a way and come here and be part of the team on this day as well,” he added.
“(It) shows the character and shows the kind of person he is, wanting to put everything ahead for the team,” Rohit said.
Rohit preferred to let Yashasvi Jaiswal carry on with his red-hot form and not speak much about it.
“I won't say anything about Jaiswal now, everyone is talking about him. Let him play. He's playing well and (that) is good for us. He's in good form. I'm not going to say much more than that,” he said.
(With PTI Inputs)
