Who said what - Top 5 expert reactions to India's win vs England in Ranchi Test ft. Sachin Tendulkar
India completed a terrific five-wicket victory in the fourth Test against England in Ranchi on Monday, February 26. This gave them an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
Set an imposing target of 192 in the fourth innings on a pitch that had enough turn and bounce, India's young guns Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel kept their calm and got them over the line comfortably.
In this listicle, we bring to you the top five reactions from experts to India's win over England in this Test:
#1. Sir Geoffrey Boycott
Former England opener Sir Geoffrey Boycott, known across the world for his immaculate technique in leaving and defending the new ball, tore into England's approach after they lost in Ranchi.
Sir Geoffrey said that England have failed to beat the best teams in the world owing to their shambolic batting brought in place by the 'Bazball' approach. He was duly critical of that in his column for The Telegraph.
“Bazball has given Test cricket a shot in the arm and England deserve praise for that. At times, I love it. But I love winning more and England have failed to beat the best two teams in the world: Australia and now India. What should really hurt them is that they should have beaten both,” wrote Boycott.
“The batting cost them winning the Ashes and it lost them the series against India. In this series, they have had odd moments when someone has scored a good hundred. But they have been in isolation and there has been no consistency. Zak Crawley is the one England player averaging over 40. Six of the Indian players have averages higher than 43," he added.
"I know they all have to buy into the Bazball mantra because that is all they talk about. To play with no fear is good, but at times England were reckless and too cocky about how they were going to smack everybody around. Getting out is part of the game but getting yourself out is silly,” he further elaborated.
#2. Nasser Hussain
Former England captain Nasser Hussain, who has supported the team through thick and thin, played a similar beat after England were beaten comprehensively in Ranchi.
On Sky Sports Cricket, he said that there was no shame in losing to India, but what hurt the Three Lions was that they did not have any clarity regarding what they wanted from their batting.
"There is no shame in losing to this India side but obviously, like with any Test series and any Test match, you look at key areas where you let the game slip and for me, all of yesterday really," said Hussain.
“What could have been a 100-run lead ended up being 46 and then in your third innings you don’t know whether to stick or twist and I think England batted in that collapse 26 overs for that 37/5 which, for this side, to go just over one run an over shows they didn’t know whether to stick or twist yesterday,” he added.
#3. Michael Atherton
Hussain's former England teammate, Michael Atherton, a former captain and opener, seemed disappointed with his country's showing on this tour.
Speaking to Sky Sports Cricket, Atherton reiterated that although few expected England to win in India, their performances could have been better given that the hosts missed a lot of their senior players.
“If I look at this tour, I don’t feel like I can sit here and be unduly critical. I don’t think anyone expected them to come and win here. In general, I feel they played some pretty good cricket," said Atherton.
"The cricket has been competitive. India know they’ve been in a scrap. But in the end they were not quite good enough. The residual regret over the opportunities missed and the fact India were missing big names like Kohli and Shami and Bumrah here,” he added.
#4. Sachin Tendulkar
The 'God of cricket' Sachin Tendulkar heaped praise on the Indian side for coming back from a challenging situation and beating England convincingly in Ranchi.
Tendulkar took to social media platform X to express his delight over India's scintillating performance and singled out a few players for his commendations.
“The score is 3-won! India once again came back from a pressure situation and fought back to win the match. It shows the character and the mental strength of our players. A great first spell in Test cricket for Akashdeep. @dhruvjurel21 was terrific at reading the length in both innings and his footwork was precise. His partnership with @imkuldeep18 kept us in the game in the 1st innings, and his knock in the 2nd innings helped us sail home,” posted Tendulkar.
#5. Manoj Tiwary
Former India cricketer and current minister of state for Youth Affairs and Sports of the state of West Bengal, Manoj Tiwary, also expressed his glee over India's brilliant showing in Ranchi.
Tiwary, who played in 12 ODIs and three T20Is for India, took to X to say that the seniors and juniors of the team had got together and performed extremely well for this victory.
“A fantastic series win for India! Excellent performance by all the juniors and seniors. Captain @ImRo45 led the team incredibly well again. @ShubmanGill played a gem of an innings and Dhruv Jurel is a player to watch out for the future! A phenomenal test match!" Tiwary posted.