File picture of India’s Dhruv Jurel and Akash Deep during net practice. The pair were instrumental in India’s win over England in the 4th Test at Ranchi
| Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji

One is a war veteran’s son who threatened to run away from home if his father didn’t buy him a kit and allow him to play cricket; another, in effect, did run away and started out in another city. A third sold pani puri off a cart, a fourth spoke delicately about how “things weren’t financially strong at home.” They are, respectively, Dhruv Jurel, Akash Deep, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sarfaraz Khan who played key roles in India’s victory against England.

There’s more. Aged five, Jurel had an accident that required plastic surgery. A decade later, his mother had to sell off her gold ornament to get him a kit bag. Deep lost his father and a brother in a span of six months and left home because he “didn’t have anything to lose.”

What is sport without stories of valour and spirit, heroism and gallantry? What is a turning pitch or a wrong leg before decision when compared to the days and months of despondency guided by nothing more than hope and a belief in ultimate redemption? What are the odds of finally making it in a country of over a billion people? How many Jaiswals and Jurels have fallen by the wayside because they lacked the guidance or the single-mindedness of these two, and their ability to hold on to their dreams?

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There are too stories of the kindness of relatives and coaches, and of the good fortune of having talent spotted and worked on by those willing to back their judgement. Above all, there is the discipline, the hard work and unwillingness to give up by the Generation Next of Indian cricket.

Elements fitting together

So many elements have to fit together snugly like Lego pieces, before success, inevitable and consistent, is achieved. Some little thing going wrong somewhere at an early stage can have a disastrous final effect. When things work out, it is nothing short of a miracle; the butterfly effect can ruin dreams.

Not so long ago our best players came from the cities and traditional centres: Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai. For a little over a generation now, they have emerged from the old backwaters. This continues. Jurel is from Agra, Jaiswal was born in Bhadohi, UP, Akash Deep in Sasaram in Bihar, where, he says, “playing cricket was a crime.”

In recent years, cricketers have emerged from Roorkee (Rishabh Pant), Unnao (Kuldeep Yadav), Chinnampatti (T. Natarajan), Kakarkhund (Mukesh Kumar). Economic migration has seen the sons of brick kiln workers, auto drivers, taxi drivers, weavers and craftsmen change the family fortunes. If English cricket is identified with Bazball, a style of play and a philosophy, Indian cricket today is best represented by Jaisball, after the poster boy of the new generation.

Reminiscent of Tendulkar

Jaiswal’s two double centuries, his compact defence and his confidence is reminiscent of the young Sachin Tendulkar. Jurel’s ability to read a match situation and change gears has something of Virat Kohli about it. When the future existed in the past, there is comfort in the continuity.

Shubhman Gill, already a captain-in-waiting, batted himself out of a slump, with a vital half-century in the chase. Like a comedian who makes you cry in a serious role or vice versa, Gill played against his grain to see India through. The number three slot seems to be his for the foreseeable future.

If the successful transfer of T20 techniques into Test cricket has shown one thing, it is that sometimes a big heart is more important than a perfect forward defence. It is easy to pick holes in the techniques of some of the young batters; old timers will cavil at the manner in which the front leg is sometimes moved away from the line of the ball rather than towards it, but it has worked. The short-pitched ball might be an issue, but here too the heart can triumph over the head.

There are two tests that Indian players have to pass before they can be accepted into the company of the best. The first, and easier one is their record at home. Then there is the record in countries represented by the acronym SANE: South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and England, on pitches where pace, bounce, swing and seam rule.

India tour Australia at the end of the year, and some reputations will be consolidated then. But whatever happens, the initial hurdle-clearing will always remain an inspiration.

Akash Deep bagged 3 wickets for India on Day 1 of Ranchi Test© BCCI

Debutant pacer Akash Deep, into his first spell in Test cricket, made a big impression as he sent England batter’s stumps cartwheeling on day 1 of the 4th Test in Ranchi on Friday. Akash’s brilliant delivery left Crawley bamboozled but the India bowler overstepped before shattering the stumps, and hence, the batter remained not-out. Akash was ecstatic as he saw Crawley’s stumps flying but it turned out he had bowled a no-ball. Hence, the celebrations were cut short.

But that was just the start for Akash Deep, who sent the likes of Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope packing in the same over. A few overs later, Deep made up for the Crawley mistake as well, dismissing him in a similar manner, though this time he hit the top of the stumps, sending the bails flying.

Drama on debut for Akash Deep!

A wicket denied by the dreaded No-ball hooter#IDFCFirstBankTestSeries #BazBowled #INDvENG #JioCinemaSports pic.twitter.com/uQ3jVnTQgW

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) February 23, 2024

Akash Deep made his debut for India after the team management decided to rest Jasprit Bumrah due to a ‘workload issue’. Bumrah, who has been India’s leading wicket-taker in the series, sat out of the game, paving the way for the talented Akash to earn his maiden Test cap. 

As for the match, England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and decided to bat first against Rohit Sharma-led India. Rohit too said that he would’ve liked to bat first on the pitch, but Akash proved that the opportunity to bowl first wasn’t a bad one either.

India Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (Wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.

England Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Foakes (Wk), Tom Hartley, Ollie Robinson, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson.

With a 2-1 lead in hand, India will take on England in the fourth Test in Ranchi, hoping to clinch the five-match series. However, the hosts, who have already missed key players in three matches so far, will be without the services of Jasprit Bumrah, who was released from the squad ahead of the game, starting Friday, February 23. The decision to rest Bumrah “was taken keeping in mind the duration of the series and amount of cricket he has played in recent times.” Mukesh Kumar, who was released from the squad for the 3rd Test, has been added back to the team as a cover for Bumrah.

England captain Ben Stokes said that he found the appearance of the pitch in Ranchi quite deceptive as he felt it has a proper grass cover from a distance but on a closer inspection, the all-rounder found that there were several visible cracks and can be challenging for both the batting and bowling sides.

As per Stokes’ description of the pitch, India might be tempted to play an extra spinner, with Axar Patel replacing Bumrah in the XI.

Here’s what we think could be India’s playing XI for the 4th Test vs England:

Openers: Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal

India captain Rohit Sharma silenced his doubters with a key century in the first innings of the game in Rajkot. Rohit, during a 200+ runs stand with Ravindra Jadeja, managed to bail India out of danger. He will look to get another big one in Ranchi with Virat Kohli and KL Rahul both ruled out.

Yashasvi Jaiswal made it two double centuries in as many games. The young opener lead the series scoring charts with 545 runs in six innings. He will continue to open with Rohit.

Middle-Order: Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel

Just like Rohit, Gill also did a huge favour to himself and India, smashing 91 in the second innings in Rajkot. A big knock is due from Gill in the remaining matches.

Madhya Pradesh star Rajat Patidar hasn’t managed to adapt to the pressure of international cricket. In two games he made 46 runs at 11.50. However, he is likely to be backed by the management for another game.

Making their respective debuts in Rajkot, batter Sarfaraz Khan and wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel looked unflustered by the occasion.

Sarfaraz, after years of toiling in domestic cricket, took the opportunity when it arrived. He smashed half-centuries in both the innings, and could’ve reached triple figures in both if it wasn’t for a unfortunate run out and India’s declaration.

Jurel, who replace KS Bharat as the stumper, was technically and temperamentally sound. He also hit a quikfire 46 in the first innings and was livewire behind the sticks.

All-rounders: Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja

Jadeja shone on his homeground, smashing a century in the first innings. He also proved to be the match-winner with the ball, bagging a five-wicket haul in the second innings as India blew away England.

Ashwin took his 500th Test wicket in only his second over of the match. However, it took him a couple of days to get his 501st, having flown to Chennai mid-match to spend time with his ill mother.

Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep

Kuldeep will play as the third spin options while Siraj will lead the pace attack in Bumrah’s absence. Bengal pacer Akash Deep is most likely to make his debut.

India Predicted XI for 4th Test vs England:

Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep.