India has claimed a dramatic five-wicket victory over England in an absorbing fourth Test in Ranchi to seal an unassailable 3-1 series lead.
Resuming on 0-40 at the start of the day, opening pairing Rohit Sharma (55) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (37) looked locked in to ease India to victory with an 84-run partnership early in the day.
However, Jimmy Anderson brilliantly caught Jaiswal off the bowling of Joe Root to spark a mini collapse of 5-36 either side of lunch.
Tom Hartley had Sharma caught by Ben Foakes before Shaob Bashir dismissed Rajat Patridar in the very next over for a six-ball duck to leave India reeling on 3-100.
Bashir then struck twice in two balls immediately after lunch to claim the wickets of Ravindra Jadeja (4) and Sarfaraz Khan (0).
However, Shubman Gill (52 not out) and player of the match Dhrub Jurel (39 not out) combined for an unbeaten 72-run partnership to steer India home.
India's five wicket victory and subsequent series win extends the hosts' unbeaten streak on home soil to 17 consecutive series stretching back to February 2013.
But unlike the heavy victories inflicted upon England in the second and third Tests, this one was a seesawing battle from the off.
"I think it was a great Test match," England captain Stokes said.
"If you look at the scoreboard it says India wins by five wickets, I don't think that really gives enough credit to the game as a whole, the amount of ebbs and flows every single day that happened."
Stokes, suffering his first series defeat as full time skipper, will look back at moments throughout the Test where England may have felt they should have converted their chances.
But in truth, India's burgeoning stars stepped up when it mattered most — none more so than Jurel, whose 90 in the first innings kept India in the game, and his impressive counterattacking knock in the second helped wrest back control of a contest that was in danger of slipping away.
Playing in just his second Test, Jurel displayed maturity beyond his years, surviving a hat trick ball at the start of his innings before pushing England onto the back foot with some sharp running and aggressive stoke play.
"[He] showed solid composure, calmness," Rohit said after the match of his wicketkeeper-batter.
"His first innings of 90 was very crucial for us. In the second innings he showed a lot of maturity and composure.
"To come in and fill their shoes [players like Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant], obviously was not easy, there was pressure from the outside, not inside, but I thought they responded very well.
"When you make a mark like that, you hold yourself in good position for a long career ahead."
Shubman Gill also exemplified the steel in India's emerging stars.
Despite playing in 25 Tests, Gill is still only 24, yet he anchored the chase with supreme confidence and restraint — not hitting a boundary until two massive sixes off Bashir in the penultimate over.
Both batters did superbly to see out a supreme spell from rookie spinners Hartley and Bashir, who can both hold their heads high after testing India with lengthy spells of high-quality bowling.
The teams now move to Dharamsala for the final Test of the five-match series on March 7.
Look back on how all the action unfolded in our live blog.
Thanks for joining us today folks for this bonus day of cricket coverage.
Myself and Dean will be back on Thursday for the first Test between Australia and New Zealand in Wellington, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
Until then, see you next time.
"It's been a very hard fought series," he says.
"To come out on the right side of it feels really good."
Of his young players that have stepped up, including Dhruv Jurel, Rohit says the performances were superb.
"All the hard work that they have done in the past ... it's a big challenge to play Test cricket, but these guys, the response I get from them is very encouraging.
"Jurel, playing his second game, showed solid composure, calmness. His first innings of 90 was very crucial for us. In the second innings he showed a lot of maturity and composure," Rohit says.
"For them to come in and fill their shoes [players like Virat Kohli], obviously was not easy, there was pressure from the outside, not inside, but I thought they responded very well.
"When you make a mark like that, you hold yourself in good position for a long career ahead."
"You come into series you want to win. You want to win games of cricket," he says.
"My message is consistent. It's about the input that everyone puts into the team.
"If we worry too much about the output, we're not committing as much as we can do as individuals and as a team.
"Everyone in every Test match has put in everything they can out into the field.
"That's all I can ask of my players."
Ben Stokes is speaking.
"I think it was a great Test match," he says.
"If you look at the scoreboard it says India wins by five wickets, I don't think that really gives enough credit to the game as a whole.
"The amount of ebbs and flows every single day that happened.
"I have to give so much credit to our spinners. To come out and put in that performance, particularly today. Being exposed to conditions like that so early in their career, incredible.
He says the batting could have been better, but paid credit to India's spin bowlers.
"We've been good in periods.
"If we look at yesterday, I don't want to say impossible, but that was incredibly hard yesterday.
"The way in which the Indian spinners came out yesterday made it incredibly hard."
A terrific test but India was the real winner...
- Mike
"We were put under pressure by them," Shubman Gill tells the host broadcaster.
"We got a good start by our openers, and then obviously on a wicket like this, there is obviously some pressure.
"I think this would got down as my only innings where I didn't hit a boundary, like a four, after scoring a fifty.
"But you have to see the situtation sometimes.
"It was important for us to stay in the game and not let the bowlers bowl too many maidens waiting for that magic ball, because that can happen on a pitch like this.
"That was the plan, keep taking the singles."
England can't say they didn't have their chances in that Test.
To have India 7-177 chasing England's first innings score of 353 on that pitch should have been terminal for the hosts.
But Dhruv Jurel's 90 resurrected them to keep the game alive as a contest.
England then collapsed in a heap in their second innings to establish a lead that was not ever nearly enough.
India recovered well in their run chase, despite the wobbles, for a brilliant victory.
England morally by 5
- Gravey
Superb from India.
That day summed up the Test in a microcosm.
India started the day heavy favourites, but England then fought back to get themselves into something of a strong position to upset the narrative.
However, in the end, India's class told and level heads prevailed.
Shubman Gill deserves an awful lot of credit for his efforts, while Dhruv Jurel changed the entire complexion of the chase when he came in after lunch, just putting India back on the front foot - where they should have been throughout to be honest - to secure victory.
Jurel flat bats the ball to mid on for no run.
FOUR! A big heave from Jurel through midwicket.
Good ball from Hartley, turning away and Jurel just defends.
Another solid bit of defence from Jurel. He'll want to hit the winning runs given his efforts in this match.
He won't get them there either - clipping to midwicket for no run.
Jurel clips to backward square leg.
SIX! Lovely from Gill! Advancing down the pitch and he's hammered that over long off.
That's his first boundary of the innings.
Solid defence.
SIX MORE! GILL GOES BIG AGAIN!
This time over midwicket!
It's come off 122 balls - but now he's exploded.
Just like that. Hugely impressive.
Now he takes a single down to long on.
Jurel clips through midwicket for a single.
India just one, lofted shot away from a series victory.
The Barmy Army is quiet, the trumpeter is asleep though, I think (hence the GIF below).
India's supporters though, are waving their flags and enjoying themselves.
Gill defends the first and then sends an inside edge to the vacant space where bat pad has been for a long time today.
Pope is coming in under the helmet - forward short leg - after a bit of a conflab with the captain, Stokes.
Solid drive for Gill to bring up the 50 partnership - from 122 balls. Match winning.
LEADING EDGE! Jurel gets a single but that was close.
Gill steals the strike with a single to long on.
Bashir and Hartley seem likely types, good future for English spin
- Gravey
BIG APPEAL! Jurel is outside the line though and Bashir is not interested at all.
He has to defend a couple that Bashir sends down with intent on that off stump line.
A mature, pensive pose from Bashir as the ball turns a lot and catches the inside edge.
Bounce now, Good stuff from Bashir, Jurel just having to be watchful here.
A great maiden for Bashir that one, he is still testing the batters but just not enough.
The partnership is 49 off 118 balls - huge for India with two younger members of the squad as well.
Bang bang? - a thunderstorm brewing?
- Mike
I don't think rain will save England here though to be honest.
Jurel defends.
Apparently Jimmy Anderson is off the pitch with lower leg tightness. It was always a tough ask given his workload over the last two Tests.
Jurel clips a single to rotate the strike.
Gill defends.
Great ball, lovely turn, Gill gets an edge on the ball to save himself from being bowled and then purses his lips. Hartley had a different reaction, holding his head in anguish.
Another great ball, Gill smiling as England clap enthusiastically around the bat.
Solid defence from Jurel first up.
Jurel is just flicking the bat towards the ball to keep it out - Bashir is bowling a good pace to keep Jurel honest.
Two down the ground, Ben Duckett on the boundary saves a couple more with a brilliant dive, but Jurel hit that really hard.
Solid defence this time as Jurel watches the turn.
Neat little skip down the ground and Jurel takes a single to long on.
Lovely defence from Gill, moving down the pitch with a compact shimmy to defend the ball away.
He has Gill defending solidly first up.
Lovely shape from the left-arm spinner, angling the ball in and having Gill defending solidly.
Gill clips to midwicket for a single.
Lovely shape from Hartley, solid defence from Jurel.
Great shape and turn, well played by Jurel to keep it out - and he gets a single to boot.
"Bang bang and we're away lads," shouts Foakes behind the stumps.
England need the fireworks quickly.
It was a change of ends for Bashir, Jurel clips away for a single to deep midwicket.
Gill comes down the pitch and gets a bit tied up, hitting his boot with his pat.
Aggression from Gill, hammering the ball down the ground to long on. Stokes smiles because Gill didn't hit it cleanly at all.
Bashir has Jurel defending with a swish across the line.
Down the leg side, Jurel leaves it - Ollie Pope appealed and then corrected himself sheepishly.
Good over from Bashir comes to an end.
Time for a drink for the players.
Beautiful drift there from Root, but Jurel gets bat on ball and sends it down to long on for a single.
Too leg side, Gill, clips to fine leg for another single.
EDGED! Just short of slip and they take two as Crawley can't gather the ball. It was a lovely ball from Joe Root.
Jurel waits on the ball and dabs it to point for a single.
Runs off every ball this over so far.
Gill fends to midwicket.
Root comes over the wicket and has Gill defending back down the pitch.
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