"On that wicket, anything is possible" - Shoaib Bashir not ruling out England's win on Day 4 of IND vs ENG 4th TestÂ
England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir hasn't ruled out a win for them on Day 4 of the fourth Test in Ranchi despite India edging ahead in pursuit of 192. The 20-year-old believes that a deteriorating or tricky surface should make 10 wickets possible by the spinners.
India started Day 3 at 219-7 and risked conceding a lead of well over 100. However, Dhruv Jurel's 90 brought the deficit down to a mere 46. Ravichandran Ashwin's fifer spearheaded India's fightback with the ball as the hosts set themselves an achievable 192 to win. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal were solid as they shaved off 40 runs from the target.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the day's play, Bashir stated:
"Yeah, look, we would have liked to have got one or two wickets in that last period, but me and Harts [Tom Hartley] know we got a job to do tomorrow. Ten opportunities to take ten wickets, and on that wicket anything is possible."
Despite getting a decent 46-run lead, the visitors couldn't capitalize on it as only Zak Crawley went past 50, with the Indian spinners proving to be too good. Along with Ashwin's fifer, Kuldeep Yadav took four wickets to bundle England out for 145.
"I just want to dedicate this to my two late granddads" - Shoaib Bashir on his maiden fifer
Bashir, who took a fifer in only his second Test, hailed Ben Stokes and his other teammates for creating the kind of environment in the dressing room that helps everyone to thrive. He said:
"I used to see these guys when I was a little kid. So to be in that dressing room, they give you so much confidence. Stokesy and the lads are brilliant, even if that's to go out to bat as well. It just gets the best out of you, and it's just a wonderful group to be a part of."
The youngster also dedicated his achievement to his late grandfathers, both of whom were avid fans of cricket. He said:
"I just want to dedicate this to my two late granddads who passed away a year and a bit ago. They used to watch Test cricket all the time on TV, sitting in front of the TV on the couch. And their wish was to watch me play, and that didn't happen. So yeah, it was quite emotional, but I'm grateful."
Should England win in Ranchi, the fifth Test in Dharamsala will be the series decider.