‘I had a plan’: Shubman Gill talks about his plan of action in the 4th Test against England

Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel (Player of the Match) remained undefeated as India triumphed over England by five wickets on Day 4 of the fourth Test in Ranchi on Monday, February 26. This victory secures India an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series, with the final match slated to be held in Dharamsala.

In an exclusive conversation on JioCinema on ‘Match Centre Live’ after the day’s play Gill elaborated on his strategy. Here are some excerpts:

His strategy to tackle off-spinners

‘I think when you are playing on a wicket like this, you just have to keep the cracks out of the game. I mean, if the ball hits the crack, you can’t do much about it. But, if the ball didn’t hit it, then I think it was a good wicket to bat on. I had a plan for the off-spinners – I planned that I am going to keep the LBW out of the game. I have always played off-spinners stepping down the wicket and in this game, I just had to execute that and just be calm and not be too tentative playing the off-spinners.’

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Approach in the game

‘Yesterday, Dhruv (Jurel) being not out on 30 and Kuldeep (Yadav) also being on the pitch for some 17 odd runs, the chat was all about to keep the lead between 80 to 100 runs – this was what we had initially planned. But the way both of them batted – they exceeded everyone’s expectations. And the way Dhruv batted, he was so mature to take on the spinners when needed and he was equally helped by Akash (Deep), Kuldeep, and (Mohammed) Siraj. Then, once the lead was just 40 to 50 runs, we knew that we were back in the game and our bowlers just had to keep the pressure on the batters.’

India won the series against England with a lead of 3-1

In Ranchi on Monday, India displayed composure to secure a five-wicket victory over England in the fourth Test, extending their remarkable streak of 17 consecutive series wins at home. With this triumph, India has surged ahead to a commanding 3-1 lead in the five-match series, setting the stage for the final game in Dharamsala commencing on March 7.

Notably, this series loss marks England’s first under the leadership of head coach Brendon McCullum. India began the day at 40 for no loss, navigating through tense moments before successfully chasing down the 192-run target during the afternoon session.

A resilient, unbeaten 72-run partnership between Shubman Gill (52 not out off 124 balls) and Dhruv Jurel (39 not out off 77) propelled India to victory after a mid-innings collapse. In the morning session, Rohit Sharma (55 off 81) played a pivotal role, crafting a crucial half-century and forging an 84-run partnership alongside his opening counterpart Yashasvi Jaiswal (37).

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