Captain Rohit Sharma reflected on the well-fought Test series against England and lauded India’s young brigade on their impressive performance. Despite losing the first Test of the five-match World Test Championship series, India fought back to win the remaining four with a solid performance, that also helped them climb to No.1
While veterans like R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Rohit himself stood up, India’s youngsters were the most impressive against a resilient English side. The likes of ICC Men’s Player of the Month for February 2024 Yashasvi Jaiswal (712 runs @ 79.91 in the series), Sarfaraz Khan (200 runs at an average of 50), Dhruv Jurel (190 runs @ 63.33, five catches and two stumpings), and Akash Deep (Three wickets @ 27.66) played a big role at key moments of the series.
Rohit was all praise for their attitude, and believes that giving the youngsters a comfortable space helped them perform to their optimum capabilities.
“All these young boys are quite chirpy. Working with these guys, seeing them play – I really enjoyed it,” Rohit said. “It was quite easy for me cause I knew these boys, barring one or two.
“For me, it was just going and talking to them about how good they are and the good things they’ve done in the past. Yeah, this situation is different, the team is different but everything else has to remain the same.
“So Rahul (Dravid) bhai and I had a chat with them, and the way they responded to us was superb. I thought these guys were ready for this challenge, it was just about going and giving them that comfort. That’s what we tried from our side.”
Rohit also stated that witnessing the debuts of these young players was an emotionally touching moment.
“Their parents were right there, there was a lot of emotion. I’ve even played with Sarfaraz’s father in the Kanga League. He was an aggressive left-handed batter, and he had quite a big name in the Mumbai circuit. His effort over so many years bore fruits now. So I had to tell him this Test cap belongs more to you than Sarfaraz.
“Rahul bhai gave a great speech for Akash Deep. It was quite overwhelming, you look where the boy was five-six years back, and where he is now. You get very emotional when things like that happen in front of your eyes.”
This was the first series loss for the Test management of England head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. Before arriving in India, England had won 13, lost four, and drawn one game under their tenure. This number became 14 after an inspirational win in Hyderabad.
However, India didn’t panic after the early defeat and went about their business.
“Losing the first game isn’t easy, a lot of thinking goes into whether you had the right combination or if you played the right brand of cricket. Many questions will creep in, but for us, it was important to stay calm and just let it flow. We let the feeling sink in and see what we could do for the next Test. It was important to send that message to the group that we don’t need to panic. There were four more Tests to go.”
Yashasvi Jaiswal reflects on winning the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for February 2024
The India skipper then moved on to the crucial moments in the series, and credited performers like Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Dhruv Jurel for prevailing in challenging situations.
“There were so many moments where the individuals brought the game back towards us. Bumrah’s spell in Vizag (second Test) was unreal. On a flat pitch, 35-36 degrees, it’s not easy for a fast bowler. That kind of spell, getting the ball to reverse, brings you into the game.
“Then there was this innings from Jaiswal, wherein he got a double hundred in Vizag. He got half the runs for the side in that innings. The next best score was 30 or 40. For us to win that second Test was so important, and someone has to put that hand up. Bumrah and Jaiswal stood up for us in that Test.
“Throughout the series, you saw Jadeja and Ash deliver for us with the bat, and as they’ve done for so many years with the ball. As a captain, when you want the wicket, they get you that.”
Rohit reserved special praise for Kuldeep Yadav, who came into his own in this series, both with the ball and the bat.
“To me the most pleasing was Kuldeep Yadav. He got crucial wickets in those four Tests. In Vizag, I remember Zak Crawley’s wicket. In Rajkot, he got Ben Duckett’s wicket when he was set and batting on 150. Even in Dharamsala, he got Zak Crawley again who was batting on 70-odd or something.
“But what pleased me even more was his batting. He’s worked hard, and it was good to see him getting the reward with the bat.”
Rohit marked out the resilient 76-run stand between Jurel and Kuldeep in Ranchi, which helped lift India from 177/7 to 307 in response to England’s 353, as the series-defining moment. After reducing the deficit to 46 runs, India’s spinners bowled out England cheaply in the third innings and eventually sealed the game and the series by five wickets on the fourth day.
“That partnership between Jurel and Kuldeep in Ranchi, that turned out to be a series-defining partnership. It won us the series, because otherwise we would’ve been 2-2. And in the fourth innings, (Shubman) Gill and Jurel also crafted a crucial partnership after we lost three quick wickets, and won us the game.”
