IND vs ENG: India captain Rohit Sharma underlines importance of home series win after Ranchi Test

India beat England by five wickets on Day 4 of the fourth and penultimate Test at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi on Monday (Feb 26). Chasing 192, India started the day at 40 for no loss but were reduced to 120 for 5 before Shubman Gill's 52* and Dhruv Jurel (39 not out) ensuredno further hiccups to take hostspast the finish line. With the win, India clinched the five-match series 3-1 with the final Test to be held in Dharamsala on March 7.

This became the 17th successive series win for India at home. At the post-match presser, Indian captain Rohit underlined the importance of a series win on home soil.

Responding to WION's correspondent, Hitman said, "Yeah, I think every series is important for us. Our job is to win the game, the series or tournament. Home and away can be differentiated. If we win at home, it is said that 'India is supposed to win at home' but if we lose, then I know what happens (smiles). Clearly, every series win against any team is crucial. Given where we were at before the series, with a lot of players missing, these young guys have taken the responsibility perfectly. "

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Rohit then lauded the young and inexperienced players who stood up for India during crucial moments of the series. He added, "You can take a lot of pride with such performances. Test cricket throws a different kind of challenge and pressure. The way these guys have performed has been superb. It is important to understand the dressing room culture and understand what we want to do as a team. These guys have come with an open mind and have raised their hands. That is importantto understand to put the team's need ahead of individual performances. These guys have done all that. I know these are early days but they have responded beautifully and have shown the skills to excel in this format."

India handed debut caps to many players -- such asJurel, Akash Deep, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan -- with Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (who only featured in the first Test), Shreyas Iyer (out of action following the second Test), etc. missing out. Even Ravindra Jadeja missed the Visakhapatnam Test whereas Jasprit Bumrah was rested for the Ranchi encounter. All the newcomers made significant contributions whereas youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal has had a memorable run in the ongoing series (with 655 runs in four Tests). Even Gill has stood tall with a ton and two crucial fifties. Thus, this Test series triumph holds a lot of significance for the hosts.

Talking about the Ranchi Test, Ben Stokes-led England opted to bat first and rode on Joe Root's 122* to post 353. In reply, India were reeling at 177-7 before Jurel's 90 took India to 307. In their second essay, England folded for 145 courtesy of R Ashwin's 5 for 51. Chasing 192, India held their nerves, on Monday, to reach the finish line with five wickets in hand.