Cricket is weird. One minute you're watching Joe Root grind out a century on a pitch that looks like it was harvested from a dry riverbed, and the next, a 23-year-old wicketkeeper from Jharkhand is basically deciding the fate of an entire five-match series. That's exactly what went down at the JSCA International Stadium Complex. If you were looking for the definitive turning point of the 2024 tour, the England vs India 4th Test was it. No question.
Honestly, England had it. They really did. After the shellacking they took in Rajkot, Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum needed a response that wasn't just "hit the ball harder." They got it, initially. Joe Root, who had been getting absolutely slaughtered in the press for a cheeky but ill-timed reverse scoop in the previous game, finally played like... well, Joe Root. He put the toys away. He scored 122 not out. It was slow. It was methodical. It was exactly what England needed to post 353.
But then India did what India does at home. They found a way to win when they were staring down the barrel of a massive first-innings deficit.
The Dhruv Jurel Factor: A Star is Born in Ranchi
Most people focus on Rohit Sharma or Ravichandran Ashwin when things go right for India. That’s fair. They're legends. But the England vs India 4th Test was snatched away by Dhruv Jurel. You’ve gotta remember, India was 177 for 7. They were trailing by 176 runs. The pitch was starting to puff. Shoaib Bashir, the young lad England brought in, was spinning a web and ended up with an eight-wicket haul for the match.
Jurel didn't care.
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He played an innings of 90 that felt like a double century. He partnered with Kuldeep Yadav—who, by the way, is becoming a legit lower-order pest for opposition bowlers—and dragged India to 307. That 46-run deficit felt like nothing compared to what it could have been. It's these small margins. If Jurel gets out for 20, England leads by 150. If England leads by 150, India isn't chasing 192 in the fourth innings; they're chasing 300+. And on that Ranchi crack-fest? Good luck.
Why England's Second Innings Collapsed So Fast
The second innings was a bloodbath. 145 all out.
It’s easy to blame "Bazball" or say they were too aggressive. But the truth is more nuanced. Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav just figured them out. Ashwin opened the bowling—a classic Rohit Sharma move—and it worked immediately. He took 5 for 51. Zak Crawley played beautifully for 60, looking like he was playing on a different planet than his teammates, but once he fell to Kuldeep, the floor just dropped out.
Kuldeep Yadav is the unsung hero here. His 4 for 22 in that second innings was a masterclass in wrist spin. He wasn't just ripping it; he was changing his pace perfectly. You’ve got to feel for Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope. One minute they’re trying to sweep, the next they're walking back to the pavilion wondering if the ball actually turned or if they just imagined it.
England’s problem wasn't just the spin. It was the "in-between" shots. They couldn't decide whether to stick or twist. Jonny Bairstow looked like he was about to tee off, then he got caught. Ben Stokes got a ball from Shamar Joseph... wait, no, it was Kuldeep in this series (mixing up my 2024 highlights!)—it was a ball that stayed low and rattled the stumps. When the bounce is inconsistent, "Bazball" starts to look very, very fragile.
The Chase: Rohit, Gill, and the Nervy Road to 192
Chasing 192 sounds easy. It’s not. Especially not when the series is on the line and Shoaib Bashir is finding turn.
Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal started like they had a plane to catch. 84 for 0. Smooth sailing, right? Wrong. India lost five wickets for 36 runs. Suddenly it was 120 for 5. The Ranchi crowd went silent. You could literally hear the England players chirping from the boundary. It felt like Headingley 2019 but in reverse.
This is where Shubman Gill showed why the selectors keep backing him. He’s had a rough trot, but his 52 not out was pure steel. He didn't hit a single boundary for ages. He just nudged. He ran. He survived. Alongside him? Dhruv Jurel, again. The kid finished the game with 39 not out. Seeing them knock off the winning runs was a massive "passing of the torch" moment for Indian cricket. No Kohli. No Shami. No Rahul. Just the young guns getting it done.
Key Stats from the England vs India 4th Test
- Dhruv Jurel: 90 & 39* (Player of the Match)
- Ravichandran Ashwin: 5-wicket haul in the second innings (his 35th in Tests)
- Shoaib Bashir: 8 wickets in the match (the youngest England bowler to take a 5-fer)
- Yashasvi Jaiswal: Crossed 600 runs in the series during this match
What Most People Get Wrong About This Result
The narrative is always "England's style failed." I think that's lazy. England lost because they didn't have a second world-class spinner to support Bashir. Rehan Ahmed was unavailable, and Tom Hartley, while game, couldn't find the consistency needed to pressure Gill and Jurel in that final session.
Also, we need to talk about the pitch. It wasn't a "rank turner" from Day 1. It was a slow burner. It cracked. It stayed low. It was a classic Indian Test wicket that demanded patience—something India had just a little bit more of than England did.
Winning the England vs India 4th Test secured the series for India (3-1 at that point), but it did more than that. It proved that the "Transition Era" everyone is worried about might actually be fine. When you can win a Test match without your biggest stars against a side that is trying to reinvent the sport, you’re doing something right.
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Next Steps for Cricket Fans
If you're dissecting this match for your weekend club talk or just trying to win an argument on Twitter (X), focus on these specific takeaways:
- Watch the highlights of Jurel’s footwork: He played the spin from the crease better than almost anyone in the series.
- Analyze Ashwin’s setup of Ben Duckett: The way he moved him across the crease before the dismissal is a tactical clinic.
- Look at the field placements: Rohit Sharma’s decision to keep a short leg and silly point even when the runs were ticking over was the pressure cooker England couldn't escape.
The series ended 4-1 eventually, but Ranchi was the heart of the battle. It was the moment England realized that vibes alone can't win a Test series in the subcontinent.