Rohit Sharma exhibited his animated side during India’s pursuit of England’s final two wickets on Day 3 of the Ranchi Test. With victory in sight and the series glory within reach, Rohit orchestrated tactical maneuvers, deploying spinners Kuldeep Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja from both ends. In a crucial moment, Rohit directed fielder Sarfaraz Khan to shift his position from long on to silly mid-off. While Khan promptly complied with his captain’s instructions, he also opted to take a bold risk in the process.
The incident unfolded in the 47th over when Kuldeep Yadav was momentarily delayed from bowling the fourth ball. This delay ensued as Sarfaraz Khan opted to field in the close-in position without wearing a helmet. As he attempted to persuade his captain, Rohit Sharma intervened, cautioning him about the seriousness of his decision and highlighting the potential dangers involved. (IND vs ENG 4th Test: Rohit Sharma Completes 4,000 Runs In Test Cricket For India)
At that juncture, umpire Kumar Dharmasena intervened, asserting that fielders in close-in positions must wear a helmet for safety reasons, thus preventing Sarfaraz from continuing without proper protective gear.
Watch the video here:
Rohit Sharma to Sarfaraz Khan for not wearing helmet:
“Aye, hero nai banne ka (hey, don’t be a hero here)”.pic.twitter.com/f49Mb60cmi Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) February 25, 2024
Rohit Sharma Reaches 4,000 Test Runs
India skipper Rohit Sharma completed his 4000 Test runs during the second innings of the fourth Test against England at JSCA International Stadium Complex on Sunday as he came out to bat during the 192-run chase.
In the first innings, Rohit could not score much and was dismissed for just two while in the second innings, he is unbeaten at 24*.
Rohit has not been able to capitalize on the starts that he has got in the series so far. In the four matches so far he has scored 266 runs at an average of 38 and at a strike rate of 65.35 with one century (131 in Rajkot).
In 58 Tests, Rohit has scored 4,003 runs at an average of 44.97, with the best score of 212. He has smashed 11 centuries and 16 fifties in 100 innings. Coming to the match, India ended their day at 40/0, with skipper Rohit Sharma (24*) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (16*) unbeaten with 152 runs more to win the five-match series. (Dhruv Jurel Honors Kargil War Veteran Father With Inspirational Celebration, Video Goes Viral – Watch)
In their second innings, England was bundled out for just 145 runs, with Zak Crawley (60 in 91 balls, with seven fours) and Jonny Bairstow (30 in 42 balls, with three fours) offering some fight. Spinners took all the 10 wickets for India, with Ravichandran Ashwin (5/51) and Kuldeep Yadav (4/22) leading the bowlers. England led by 191 runs and set India a target of 192 runs to take the series win by 3-1.
Earlier, India was bundled out for 307 in their first innings in reply to England’s first innings total of 353. Despite Yashasvi Jaiswal (73 in 117 balls, with eight fours and a six) firing once again, India was left struggling at 219/7. . It was wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel (90 in 149 balls, with six fours and four sixes) who joined forces with Kuldeep (28 in 131 balls) to stitch a 76 run stand for the eighth wicket and India managed to score above 300 runs. Spinner Shoaib Bashir troubled Indian batsmen and took a five-wicket haul (5/119). Tom Hartley (3/68) and James Anderson (2/48) were also great with the ball.
England chose to bat first and put up 353 runs in their first innings, driven by a comeback century by their premier batter Joe Root (122* in 274 balls, 10 fours), a half-century from Ollie Robinson (58 in 96 balls, with nine fours and a six) and Ben Foakes (47 in 126 balls, with four boundaries and a six). Ravindra Jadeja (4/67) and Akash Deep (3/83) were the top bowlers for India. (With ANI inputs)