India dominated England with an innings and 64-run victory in the fifth Test in Dharamsala's HPCA Stadium, securing the series with a 4-1 margin. Under Rohit Sharma's captaincy, India became the first team to defeat England in a Test series while they were led by head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. Following a close 28-run loss in Hyderabad, India made a remarkable comeback, winning consecutive matches in Vizag, Rajkot, Ranchi, and Dharamsala.
Rohit Sharma wants to bring big change in team's mindset
Rohit emphasised his commitment to creating an environment where players can enjoy the game freely, aiming to completely remove the focus on statistics from the team's mindset.
"I'm not too much of a stat person who looks into numbers and all of that. Yes, scoring big runs, those numbers are important, but eventually there is a culture of playing cricket in this team that I was focusing on and I am still focusing on. I wanted to bring a certain change. You know, players going out there and playing with a lot of freedom. That statistical side of cricket, I want to take completely out of this team," Rohit told broadcasters after the match.
"People are not looking at numbers. People are not looking at their personal scores. Play the game. Numbers will take care of itself if you are playing well. If you're fearless, If your mind is clean and clear, other things will take care of itself. But don't look out. Go out there looking for ok, can I get a 50 here? can I get 100? Obviously all those numbers are good. It will happen. But just take that completely out of your mind and just focus on the game," he added.
"Enjoy the surroundings. Enjoy the atmosphere within the group. Enjoy the camaraderie that we've created now within the group. That is what it is. For me, that's the most important," Rohit concluded.
How the IND vs ENG's 5th match unfolded?
On the first day in Dharamsala, India dismissed England for 218 runs. Zak Crawley stood out as the top scorer for the visitors with 79 runs from 108 balls.
Kuldeep Yadav emerged as the standout bowler for India, securing his fourth five-wicket haul in Tests, with Ravichandran Ashwin, celebrating his 100th Test match, supporting well by taking four wickets. In their second innings, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill hit centuries, while newcomers Devdutt Padikkal and Sarfaraz Khan contributed with half-centuries, helping India amass a total of 477 runs and a lead of 259 runs over England.
Ashwin achieved his 36th five-wicket haul in Tests, dismissing England for 195 runs in their second innings, leading to an innings and 64-run victory for India. After this Test series, India climbed to the top of the latest World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-2025 points table, whereas England landed in ninth place, just above the bottom.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
'He's a tough guy and loves challenges...': Rohit Sharma gives special mention to this India star following Test series win over England
'We all know where it all went wrong': Ben Stokes' honest confession after England's Bazball misfired in Test series vs India as whole
