IND vs ENG: When the spotlight fell on the youngsters, they took the stage by storm

Skipper Rohit Sharma was all praise for the Indian newcomers after his side secured a five-wicket win at the JSCA Stadium here on Monday.

India batsmen Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel celebrate after winning the fouth Test match between India and England at JSCA International Stadium Complex on February 26, 2024, in Ranchi. | Photo Credit: K.R Deepak / The Hindu

‘India is not for beginners’ is a popular meme template making the rounds in social media, which harks on the absurdly complex way of life in the country.

But, if the ongoing Test series between India and England is anything to go by, life in India may not be that cruel to beginners.

Both India and England banked on an array of fresh faces in their almighty tussle, with most of them proving their mettle with some stand-out performances.

If it was Dhruv Jurel, Akash Deep and Sarfaraz Khan for India, it was the spin-duo of Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir for England.

In Ranchi, where the fate of the series was sealed in favour of India, almost all of the rookies put their best foot forward, with Jurel earning the man-of-the-match award for a pair of match-winning knocks.

Skipper Rohit Sharma was all praise for the Indian newcomers after his side secured a five-wicket win at the JSCA Stadium here on Monday.

“A lot of these young guys have never played Test cricket before and have never been part of the Indian dressing room. They have understood the dressing room culture and adapted to the team’s demands. These are guys who put up their hand and did it, and that is the kind of guys you need in the squad,” said Rohit.

On a challenging track in Ranchi, England had pinned India down by reducing the home team to 177 for seven in the first innings, giving it all the chance of raking in a massive lead. But, in the one-test-old Jurel, the team found its saviour.

The wicket-keeper batter soaked in the pressure and batted with composure often unseen among cricketers of his experience level. Jurel revived India’s fortune with a decisive 76-run partnership with Kuldeep Yadav, taking India 47 runs close to the English first-innings total.

 India’s Akash Deep, centre celebrates the wicket of England’s Ben Duckett during the first day of the fourth Test match between India and England at JSCA International Stadium Complex on February 23, 2024, in Ranchi. | Photo Credit: K.R Deepak / The Hindu

India would again lean on the unflappable Jurel in the fourth-day chase, with the right-handed batter, alongside Shubman Gill, helping India hunt down the 192-run target.

Rohit, later in the post-match press conference, would use Jurel’s batting to counter the questions regarding the nature of the pitch. “Jurel played in such a situation for the first time, in his second Test, and he made runs. More than the runs, see how many balls he played.”

Jurel’s initiation into the team itself was one ridden by fortune. With primary wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant still recovering, India had started the series with KS Bharat behind the stumps.

But the Andhra gloveman’s middling returns with the bat forced the team to look elsewhere. The option of utilising KL Rahul’s part-time skills was negated due to a quadriceps injury the 31-year-old sustained in the first Test. And then came Jurel’s turn in Rajkot and the match-winning performance in Ranchi.

Before Jurel took centre stage, it was debutant Akash Deep’s turn to shine. On a Ranchi pitch heavily tilted towards the spinners, he was the only pacer to put in a sustained spell of pressure.

Early on Day 1, Akash combined his off-putting pace and impeccable line and length to wreck the English top order, ending the innings with figures of three for 83.

In Rajkot during the third Test, it was debutant Sarfaraz Khan, who played the perfect folly to double-centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal – who may have just graduated from being a beginner, having made his Test debut in 2023.

Sarfaraz was a combative presence with the bat, scoring two fifties while taking on the English spinners a free flow of shots.

The Indian Test team is not too far away from entering the throes of a potentially painful transition. The core of this world-beating team – Rohit, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja – is an ageing one.

But, the induction of the younger lot and their subsequent success has been a soothing balm for Indian cricket supporters, and Rohit evoked the same feeling.

“A lot of these guys are quite young, and you’ll see these guys playing in the coming 5-10 years regularly in this format, for sure. The way they have come and taken the responsibility, scored a lot of runs, big runs, and with the ball as well, some of these guys were quite impressive,” said Rohit.

England bowler Shoaib Bashir celebrates with captain Ben Stokes after taking the wicket of India batsman Sarfaraz Khan (not pictured) during day four of the 4th Test Match between India and England at JSCA International Stadium Complex on February 26, 2024 in Ranchi, India. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Indian skipper was also impressed by the passion the newcomers have shown towards Test cricket.

“This is the toughest format, and here, if you want to excel, then you will have to keep that hunger in you. We will give opportunity only to those who are hungry. I don’t see anybody in this team who doesn’t have that. I know it’s still early days, but they have shown that they have all the ability, all the skills to excel in this format,” Rohit added.

Even England’s failed push to level the series in Ranchi was powered by the efforts of its rookie spinners – Bashir and Hartley – playing their 2nd and 4th Tests respectively.

The six-foot-four duo put the Indian batters through the sword, taking 12 of the 15 home wickets to fall, giving England a fighting chance in the Test.

“It should be very intimidating for two young spinners at the start of their career to come out on day four to try and bowl India out for a small target. Not once did they take a backward step. Not once did you look at their body language or enthusiasm towards the game and think that we were beaten,” said English captain Ben Stokes.

Stokes also looked at the bigger picture and spoke about the impact the influx of fresh blood can have on Test cricket.

“I think so far, this series [has] not only has brought out a lot of talent not only for us but also for India. I’m a massive cricket fan, I love Test cricket. And I think on both sides, we’ve seen some young, inexperienced players come out, and I think the future is great for Test cricket.”

The future indeed looks bright and along with that proves India might just be an okay place for beginners.