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A series win over England by 4-1 helped India claim the top position in the ICC Men's Test Team Rankings, taking over Australia. After losing the first Test in Hyderabad by a close margin of 28 runs, India fought back in style to win the remaining four Tests against England. Wins in Vizag, Rajkot, Ranchi, and now Dharamsala have helped the side return to the top position in the ICC Test Team Rankings, as per ICC.
India captain Rohit Sharma was full of praise for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after the 'Test Cricket Incentive Scheme' announcement by the board's secretary Jay Shah. The Board president Roger Binny and Shah said that the initiative recognizes and rewards the efforts of players, promoting Test cricket as "pinnacle of the sport". The initiative comes as a welcome move by the cricketing fraternity, especially in the wake of the controversy surrounding certain players' decision to skip red-ball cricket.
Rohit Sharma's captaincy was rather understated vis-a-vis Ben Stokes' on-the-edge methods, but India head coach Rahul Dravid was delighted to see the players identify themselves with the Mumbaikar's leadership principles. Under Rohit, India never made tall claims even once but silently and categorically nullified the visitors' much-talked-about 'Bazball' and grabbed the five-match series 4-1. "I'm privileged to work with a lovely team. I'm learning from them all the time. Rohit has been fantastic to work with. I think he's a terrific leader, and the guys gravitate towards him phenomenally, which is fantastic to see," said Dravid told broadcasters after the match.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was disappointed with Dhruv Jurel after the young wicketkeeper-batter threw his wicket in the first innings of the fifth Test against England in Dharamsala. Jurel, who won the player of the match award in the last game, walked in to bat at No. 7 after India lost the wicket of debutant batter Devdutt Padikkal. Jurel's stay lasted just 24 balls as he holed out to Ben Duckett at long-on. As he was walking back to the dressing room after his dismissal, Jurel kept staring at his bat with a look of disbelief on his face.
Ravichandran Ashwin worked on different actions and speeds throughout the Test series against England and the master off-spinner said experimenting while shutting out external noises was integral for his success in the varied Indian conditions. Ashwin, who played his 100th Test in Dharamsala, finished the five-match series as the top wicket-taker, bagging 26 wickets. "Throughout the series I have gone to different actions, speeds and releases. India is different, each ground has a challenge. I am least bit insecure about what people feel about me," Ashwin said at the post-match presentation.
Indian cricket team batter Shubman Gill said that he did not think about going back to opening the batting when he was going through a rough patch in his career. Gill, who slammed a brilliant century on Day 2 of the fifth Test match against England in Dharamsala on Friday, struggled to score runs before the ongoing series. With Yashasvi Jaiswal opening the innings with Rohit Sharma, Gill was given the No. 3 position and it took him some time to get accustomed to it. However, he bounced back brilliantly and has already scored more than 400 runs in the ongoing five-match Test series against England.
With India recording a thumping win over England inside three days in the fifth and final Test, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma lauded spinner Kuldeep Yadav's performance with the bowl and bat. A five-wicket haul on his 100th Test by Ravichandran Ashwin broke the back of England's batting line-up, handing the Three Lions' 'Bazball' school of cricket a blow as India won the Test by an innings and 64 runs at Dharamshala on Saturday. Kuldeep was crowned as the 'Player of the Match' for his all-round performance as he scored 30 runs and took five wickets in England's first innings. He took two wickets in England's second innings.
England left-arm spinner Tom Hartley conceded the second-highest runs by a visiting bowler in a Test series against India during the fifth and final Test at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Saturday. Hartley conceded 795 runs in the five matches he played in the series against India. He is just behind teammate Adil Rashid, who conceded 861 runs in the series back in 2016. India defeated England by an innings and 64 runs in 5th Test.