Rajkot: England, who made a name for playing ultra-attacking cricket in Tests over the last two years, didn’t know what hit them on Day 4 of the third Test here on Sunday.
Team India’s young batting stars first bludgeoned the English bowling attack into submission by rattling up 430/4 declared in the second innings.
Chasing an improbable 557 runs for victory, England collapsed in a heap to be bowled out for 122 in under 40 overs, handing Team India victory by a whopping 434 runs.
It was India’s largest win in their Test history, surpassing the 372-run margin against New Zealand at Mumbai in 2021.
Watch India’s winning moment in this video posted on X by BCCI:
Smiles all around here in Rajkot 😃👌#TeamIndia win the 3rd Test by 434 runs and take a 2⃣-1⃣ lead in the Test series 👏👏
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/FM0hVG5X8M#INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/C5QeI757QN
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 18, 2024
A brilliant run out of England’s first-innings batting hero Ben Duckett, thanks to debutant wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel’s agile work, opened the floodgates. Zack Crawley was trapped leg-before wicket by Jasprit Bumrah, reducing England to 18/2 at tea.
Indian spinners then got into business on a wearing fourth-day track, with Man-of-the-Match Ravindra Jadeja (5/41) running through the visitors’ second innings. Kuldeep Yadav (2/19) and Ravichandran Ashwin (1/19) – who returned from Chennai earlier in the day after attending to a family emergency at home – also chipped in to complete England’s misery.
The first half of the day belonged to Yashasvi Jaiswal, the sensational young opener who notched up his second double century (214 not out off 236 balls, 14×4, 12×6) in successive Tests.
Having retired hurt with back spasms towards the end of Day 3, Yashasvi returned to the crease this morning after Shubman Gill was tragically run out (91) nine runs short of what would have been a deserved hundred.
The left-hander took time to get into the groove before opening out and toying with the English bowlers.
Yashasvi smashed a world record-equalling 12 sixes in innings, including three straight overboundaries off the peerless Jimmy Anderson.
Had Rohit Sharma not declared the innings closed, Yashasvi could have gone past Wasim Akram’s previous record of 12 sixes in an innings.
Among a clutch of records, Yashasvi became the first Indian batsman to make 150-plus scores in his first three Test hundreds.
He now has 545 runs in the series so far at an average of 111.2.
Another debutant Sarfaraz Khan made merry too, in partnership with Yashasvi. The stocky right-hander raced to 68 not out (72 balls, 6×4, 3×6). The duo added 172 runs in a mere 26.2 overs as England were sent on a leather hunt.
Brief Scores
India 445 & 430/4 declared in 98 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 214*, Shubman Gill 91, Sarfaraz Khan 68*).
England 319 & 122 in 39.4 overs (Mark Wood 33; Ravindra Jadeja 5/41, Kuldeep Yadav 2/19).
Result: India won by 434 runs.
Man of the Match: Ravindra Jadeja.
Series position: India lead 2-1 with 2 Tests to play (Ranchi & Dharamsala).
