India vs England: fourth Test, day four – as it happened

Hartley bowled with maturity, finishing with one for 70

AJIT SOLANKI/AP

Ben Stokes thus suffers his first series defeat since becoming captain in 2022, one loss to set against three wins (not counting a standalone victory over Ireland) and two draws. He and Brendon McCullum, the head coach, must be rueing what might have been: another 50 runs on Sunday, when England suffered a sickening batting collapse, might have been enough to get them home.

Joe Root got England’s ball rolling today with the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal but after a flurry of bowling changes mid-morning, Stokes settled on Bashir and Tom Hartley to exploit whatever vagaries in the pitch they could find — and there were certainly enough to keep England in the hunt.

Except for one over from Root to allow them to change ends, these two bowled from 10.15am until the end of the game at 1.38pm. In that time Bashir took three for 54 from 22 overs, and Hartley one for 42 from 20. They bowled beautifully and with astonishing maturity and nerve for young players with little first-class experience and who came on the tour as uncapped players. Stokes gave only three overs to James Anderson and none to Ollie Robinson.

With every run counting, the fielders did all they could to assist the cause. Anderson took a fine diving catch to remove Jaiswal, Ollie Pope leapt high to his right at short leg to dismiss Rajat Patidar and Jonny Bairstow held a low catch at mid-wicket to account for Ravindra Jadeja.

When Sarfaraz Khan fell first ball, India were wobbling but Jurel survived a grubber that shot past his off stump and a sliced drive that fell short of backward point — after that, he and Gill gradually took control.

The result confirms India’s reputation as a formidable team in their own conditions, one of the greatest powerhouses on home soil that Test cricket has seen. They have won all 17 home series they have played since the defeat by Alastair Cook’s England in 2012, and their record in their past 50 home Tests now reads: won 39, lost four, drawn seven.

India win by five wickets. They win the series. It didn’t look likely on day two. At 120 for five this morning, it looked equally ominous. But Shubman Gill’s unbeaten 52, and 39 from Dhruv Jurel during the unbeaten sixth-wicket partnership of 72, get India over the line with room to spare.

Shubman Gill has halted England’s momentum. At 120 for five, India were wobbling. England could sense a comeback. But the India No3 has calmed the nerves of the Ranchi crowd, who are cheering every single with fervor.

In the 60th over, Gill brings up his fifty with back to back sixes, the first boundaries of his innings. Until this over it had been a watchful knock from Gill, opting for the risk-free approach to the India rebuild. But he has come down to Bashir and pushed India to within six runs of victory.

Gill is digging in amid an England fightback

AP

The 20-year-old spinner has blown this Test open. Ravindra Jadeja is caught at mid-wicket by Jonny Bairstow. With the next delivery, Sarfaraz Khan falls for a golden duck, trying to work one to the leg side, where Ollie Pope was lurking. That is now five for 36 since Yashasvi Jaiswal fell to Joe Root.

That brings Dhruv Jurel to the crease, alongside Shubman Gill. A rebuild is underway, with the India batsmen picking the gaps to rotate strike with good effect.

A burst of three wickets in eight overs this morning gave England hope that they might yet pull this Test out of the fire and level the series at 2-2. Rohit Sharma, who scored 55 and appeared to be guiding India serenely to their target of 192, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rajat Patidar all fell to England’s spinners, leading to a dramatic shift in the mood.

Sharma is caught by Foakes, who removes the bails anyway

AJIT SOLANKI/AP

Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja, concentrating almost entirely on defence, battled through to lunch at which point India were 118 for three, needing another 74 for victory. Gill had faced 62 balls for his 18 and Jadeja 29 deliveries for his three.

There were enough signs of turn and variable bounce to keep everyone on their toes.

Ben Stokes put most of his faith in his two young spinners, Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir getting through 24 of the 29 bowled in the session.

India’s openers moved along relatively serenely in the early passage of play, Sharma and Jaiswal taking 42 off the first eight overs which included a brief burst of seam from James Anderson. Stokes never wavered in his belief that something could be made to happen, and at one point he made four bowling changes in six overs.

It was Joe Root who made the first incision as Jaiswal, who was looking fretful against spin, drove loosely at a ball that took the rough and sliced to backward point where Anderson took a fine catch, diving forward. Root’s reward was a bear-hug from Stokes.

Drinks were taken with India 93 for one but shortly after Sharma advanced at Hartley, who saw him coming, pushed the ball wider, and Ben Foakes completed the stumping with the India captain well out of his crease. It was Hartley’s twentieth wicket of the series.

With both openers gone, the atmosphere palpably altered and seven balls later Bashir spun a ball into Patidar, found the inside edge and Ollie Pope leapt high to his right to pluck the ball out of the air. India had lost three for 19 in eight overs and the Barmy Army trumpeter started playing the theme to “The Great Escape”.