IND vs ENG: 'Dhruv Jurel took the pressure off me' - Shubman Gill on unbeaten stand in tense Ranchi chase

India were reduced to 120-5 in pursuit of 192 on Day 4 of the fourth and penultimate Test versus England at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi on Monday (Feb 26). However, Shubman Gill (52*) was joined by Dhruv Jurel -- who stood tall with a fine 90 in India's first innings -- and the duo stitched an unbeaten 72-run sixth-wicket stand to take India to a stunning five-wicket win and also to their 17th successive red-ball series win at home.

The two batted negated a tough session of play with England spinners, Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir (who took a five-fer in the first essay) and Joe Root posing some questions on a pitch with a tinge of low bounce. Gill-Jurel ran well between wickets and defended confidently before looking for runs. As a result, the duo remained unbeaten and gave their side a stunning five-wicket win.

After the match, Gill recalled his partnership with Jurel, who ended with scores of 90 and 39* in the Ranchi Test. Talking to the broadcasters, Gill credited his partner to have taken the pressure off him. He said, "We were put under pressure by them, but we got a good start by our openers, losing couple of wickets put pressure. But Jurel came out and took the pressure off. You have to see the situation and play accordingly - they were bowling well and protecting the boundaries, also not giving maidens and keep picking the singles (was the mindset). I just told him (Jurel) you batted beautifully in the first innings and to have the same mindset, try to use the feet to negate the off-spinner. The way he came down and played was beautiful."

At the presentation ceremony, Jurel was adjudged the Player-of-the-Match for his wicketkeeping skills and two crucial knocks. He said, "Iplay according to the demands of the situation. The 1st innings, we needed to get runs as well, we knew we had to bat last and so any runs would be vital. I was involved in some partnerships, so credit does go to all those who stayed and added runs. I just saw the ball and then reacted to it, not thinking too far ahead. The conversation was good (with Shubman Gill in the 2nd innings), we just broke it into 10-run sets and started developing the partnership."

It was Jurel's priceless 90 which ensured India gave only a 46-run lead to England after they were tottering at 177-7 in response to Ben Stokes & Co.'s 353. In the second innings, England crumbled to 145 with R Ashwin taking 5 for 51 as they setup a tricky 192-run target. India were 84 for no loss, thanks to skipper Rohit Sharma's 55, before they lost the plot with regular fall of wickets only to be rescued by Gill and Jurel.

With this result, India have taken an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five Tests with the final encounter in Dharamsala, startingon March 7.