NEW DELHI: With the series already in pocket, a confident Team India will aim to end the five-match series with a win when Rohit Sharma's men will face under-the-pump England in the fifth and final Test match at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on March 7.
In the absence of key players like premier pacer Mohammed Shami, batting maestro Virat Kohli, and middle-order stalwart Shreyas Iyer, Rohit demonstrated faith in the newcomers by granting Test debuts to Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, and pacer Akash Deep, contributing to India's stylish series win.
During the upcoming fifth and final Test, Rohit will have the chance to surpass former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir in the Test runs tally by India batsmen.
Rohit, who has 4034 runs in 58 Tests, requires 120 runs to eclipse Gambhir's tally of 4154 runs in the same number of Tests.
1/10:India vs England: Memorable Test series for five debutants
2/10:Dhruv Jurel
<p>Wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel marked his debut in Rajkot's third Test with a first-innings 46 to give a glimpse of his promise. </p>
3/10:Match-winner
<p>Jurel rescued India from trouble twice in the fourth Test in Ranchi with 90 in the first innings to guide his side from 177-7 to 307 and then a match-winning 39 not out. </p>AP
4/10:Sarfaraz Khan
<p>Sarfaraz Khan also made his debut in Rajkot and immediately repaid the selectors by cracking 62 off 66 balls in the first innings before being run out. </p>
5/10:Fifties in debut innings
<p>Sarfaraz remained unbeaten on 68 off 72 balls in the second to help set up India's declaration as they won by a massive 434 runs. </p>AP
6/10:Akash Deep
<p>Fast bowler Akash Deep made an instant impact with the new ball on debut in the fourth Test, despite shouldering the burden of replacing Jasprit Bumrah who was rested. </p>
7/10:3-wicket burst
<p>Akash Deep ripped through the England top order with Ben Duckett caught behind and Ollie Pope trapped lbw second ball and smashed Zak Crawley's stumps. </p>Getty Images
8/10:Tom Hartley
<p>24-year-old left-armer Tom Hartley marked his debut in the 1st Test in Hyderabad with nine wickets in a match-winning display. </p>Getty Images
9/10:Hyderabad Test
<p>Hartley spun his team to victory with figures of 7-62 and his 20 wickets in four matches are more than any other bowler and he has also contributed 159 useful runs down the order. </p>PTI
10/10:Shoaib Bashir
<p>Shoaib Bashir, who has Pakistani heritage, missed the first Test due to a visa delay but was then thrown straight in for his debut in the second despite having played only six first class matches. </p>Getty ImagesThe Indian skipper has an average of 44.82 in his 58-Test career, while the former dynamic left-handed batsman maintained an average of 41.95.
India defeated England by five wickets in the fourth Test to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
The series has featured a number of debuts in the absence of seasoned campaigners such as Virat, Shami, and KL Rahul.
It was the first series defeat for captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum since they took charge in 2022 and changed England's fortunes with their attacking philosophy dubbed "Bazball".
