India are just 152 runs away from defeating England in the fourth Test in Ranchi, thanks to Ravichandran Ashwin's fantastic five-wicket haul which broke visitors' back on February 25. R Ashwin clinched a five-wicket haul, propelling India to bowl out England for just 145 in the second innings of the fourth Test. Ashwin dismissed James Anderson for a duck to complete his 35th Test five-wicket haul, setting India a target of 192 runs to win. England struggled with their batting in this innings, with only Zak Crawley managing to score over fifty, hitting 60 runs off 91 balls. Jonny Bairstow added 30 runs, but three of England's batsmen were dismissed for ducks, indicating significant difficulties against India's spin bowlers. Ashwin ended with figures of 5/51 in 15.5 overs.
How Ashwin caused England's batting collapse?
After the close of Day 3's play, Ashwin said that he had to rewire the way he thinks about the game to come up with a stunning bowling effort.
“Enjoyed bowling with the new ball. I put my hand up. Enjoyed bowling with a bit more speed. Had to rewire the way I think about the game. Sometimes when I come here I find there's not as much bite. Had to go a lot of side spin and hammer into the pitch. [Foakes carrom ball] My knee has been acting up, takes some time to warm up. Didn't want to give extra runs because we're chasing last,” Ashwin said after the match.
Ashwin was well supported by Kuldeep Yadav, who took four wickets for 22 runs, and Ravindra Jadeja who took one wicket, underscoring the spin trio's dominance which led to England's collapse just before the end of the day's play. Notably, Indian spinner effected all of England's 10 wickets.
Kuldeep is a phenomenal character: Ashwin
Ashwin was all praise for his partner-in-crime Kuldeep.
“[Kudeep performance] Phenomenal character, Kuldeep bowled brilliantly. He was working on his run-up, changing pace and trajectory,” Ashwin added.
But it was Dhruv Jurel, who staged India's comeback when they were in a precarious position. Dhruv's bravado of 90 runs took rescued India from 177/7 to 307.
"[Batting] His defence was gun, showed composure. Even better from Dhruv, great composure in his second game. Was a huge lift to bat through to lunch. We would have taken that [46-run deficit] with both hands last night. Winning a Test is the best feeling as a cricketer, I would like to have that tomorrow," Ashwin concluded.
India set sights on series victory
A victory in Ranchi would give India an insurmountable 3-1 series lead in the five-match contest. After England clinched the series opener, India bounced back to win the following two matches consecutively. India have maintained an undefeated home record since a surprising loss to England in 2012, achieving victories in 16 straight home Test series. This streak would extend to 17 if India manage to meet the set target.
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