Honestly, the Ranchi Test was one of those matches where the final scorecard—India winning by five wickets—doesn't even begin to tell the whole story. If you just glance at the cricket score india vs england 4th test, you see a steady chase. But man, for about two hours on that Monday afternoon, the tension in the stadium was thick enough to cut with a knife. India was reeling at 120/5. The "Bazball" machine looked like it might actually force a series decider.
Then came Dhruv Jurel and Shubman Gill.
The Survival Act Nobody Expected
Look, England putting up 353 in the first innings was a statement. Joe Root, who had been getting a lot of flak for his "funky" dismissals earlier in the series, played a classic, unbeaten 122. He basically dropped the ego and just batted. It was grinding. It was old-school. It was exactly what England needed. When India came out to bat, Shoaib Bashir—a kid with barely any first-class experience—started ripping through the lineup. He ended up with a five-wicket haul (5/119), and at 177/7, India looked dead in the water.
They weren't.
Dhruv Jurel, playing only his second Test, produced a 90 that was worth a hundred on any other track. He and Kuldeep Yadav (who faced 131 balls for just 28 runs, a legendary shift) added 76 for the eighth wicket. That partnership is the only reason India stayed in the game. Without those runs, England's first-innings lead would have been 150+. Instead, it was just 46.
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The Ashwin and Kuldeep Masterclass
Then came the second innings collapse that England fans will be mourning for a while. Usually, you expect a lead to be a platform. Instead, the English top order crumbled under the weight of Ravichandran Ashwin’s brilliance. He took 5/51, proving for the thousandth time why he’s a nightmare on Day 3 and 4 pitches in India.
But don't overlook Kuldeep Yadav.
Kuldeep's 4/22 was arguably more lethal. He was getting the ball to dip and turn in ways that made Zak Crawley (who made a brave 60) and Ben Stokes look completely lost. England folded for 145. Suddenly, India needed 192 to win the match and seal the series.
Breaking Down the Cricket Score India vs England 4th Test Chase
The target of 192 seemed easy when Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal put on 84 for the first wicket. Rohit was looking classy, hitting 55. But this is Ranchi. The cracks were open. You could literally, as one commentator put it, "lose a pen in those cracks."
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Shoaib Bashir started turning it again.
- The Collapse: India went from 84/0 to 120/5.
- The Casualties: Jaiswal, Rohit, Rajat Patidar, Ravindra Jadeja, and Sarfaraz Khan all went back to the pavilion in a frantic blur of wickets.
- The Turning Point: Suddenly, Shubman Gill was joined by Jurel.
For 31 overs, not a single boundary was hit. Think about that. In the age of T20 and Bazball, two young guys decided to just... defend. They took singles. They survived. Shubman Gill, who ended on 52 not out, didn't hit a single four in his entire innings until the very end when he smashed two sixes to break the pressure.
The Rookie Who Became a Hero
Dhruv Jurel finished 39 not out. He hit the winning runs off Tom Hartley, flicking it for a couple. It was a poetic end for a guy who was named Player of the Match. His composure was insane. You've got James Anderson, the greatest fast bowler in history, staring you down, and Jurel just looks like he's playing a Sunday league game.
Ben Stokes was gracious after the game, but you could tell it stung. England had their chances. If they’d caught Jurel early in the first innings, the series would have been 2-2 going into Dharamshala. But that’s the beauty of Test cricket; it’s won in the tiny gaps between mistakes.
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Why This Scorecard Matters for 2026 and Beyond
This match was a massive shift for India. They played without Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Mohammed Shami. Jasprit Bumrah was rested for this specific game. It was a "B-team" on paper that showed the world India’s bench strength is terrifying.
- Yashasvi Jaiswal finished the series with over 700 runs, but his 73 in the first innings here was the foundation.
- Akash Deep made a dream debut, taking three wickets in his opening spell on Day 1.
- Shubman Gill finally answered the critics who questioned his spot at Number 3 with a gritty, ugly, beautiful half-century.
If you are looking at the cricket score india vs england 4th test, don't just look at the 3-1 series lead. Look at the fact that India found a long-term wicketkeeper-batter in Jurel and a spin attack that doesn't just rely on "rank turners" to win.
To truly understand how this result impacts the World Test Championship, you need to monitor the upcoming cycles. This win secured India’s spot near the top and basically ended England's hopes of a miracle comeback in that specific series. For your next steps, keep an eye on Dhruv Jurel’s domestic form and how England adjusts their spin department—they clearly missed a veteran presence like Jack Leach in those tight Ranchi sessions. Check the latest WTC table to see how the points from this 4th Test have filtered into the current season rankings.