File photo of Virat Kohli© X (formerly Twitter)
Indian cricket team star batter Virat Kohli took to social media to express his happiness following Rohit Sharma and Co’s historic series win against England. India defeated England by five wickets in the fourth Test match in Ranchi on Monday to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series. Kohli opted out of the Test series as he welcomed a baby boy Akaay with his wife and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma. However, within minutes of the series win, Kohli posted a special message for the team.
“YES!!! Phenomenal series win by our young team. Showed grit, determination and resilience. @BCCI,” he posted on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).
India’s home supremacy weathered the ‘Bazball’ storm as Rohit Sharma’s men secured a hard-fought five-wicket win over England in the fourth and penultimate Test for a 17th consecutive series triumph in their own backyard, handing a harsh reality check to the visitors’ unidimensional approach.
YES!!!
Phenomenal series win by our young team. Showed grit, determination and resilience.@BCCI
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) February 26, 2024
Overnight 40/0 in a chase of 192, India romped home after surviving a few hiccups with the opening duo of skipper Rohit Sharma (55 off 81 balls) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (37 of 44 balls) providing the perfect platform for others to build with their 84-run stand on day four of the match.
There were some jitters after the two departed in close succession followed by Rajat Patidar and Ravindra Jadeja‘s dismissal but Shubman Gill (52 not out) and Dhruv Jurel (39 not out) guided the side past the finishing line with an unbeaten 72-run partnership.
Left-arm spinner Tom Hartley (1/64) took the prized scalp of Rohit, while Shoaib Bashir was the most successful English bowler, scalping 3/79 in the second innings for a match haul of eight wickets.
India lead 3-1 in the series with the last game scheduled in Dharamsala from March 7. The team’s last home series loss was a 1-2 defeat to an Alastair Cook-led England in 2012-13. Since then, India have won 39 out of 50 Tests at home.
(With PTI inputs)
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