Pic Courtesy: NewsIndiaTimes
India vs England Five Match Series Levelled at 2-2 after an epic, true blockbuster finish at The Oval!
Shubman Gill-led India have clinched a dramatic six-run victory over England – their narrowest Test win in history – in the fifth and final Test at The Oval, levelling the series 2-2 and drawing the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
India pacer Mohammed Siraj took five wickets, including three on the final day, to power India to victory. England were bowled out for 367, chasing a target of 374, in a dramatic game that also forced Chris Woakes to come out and bat with a dislocated shoulder. Siraj committed a massive fielding blunder on Day 4, handing Harry Brook a lifeline, who went on to score a century. However, he redeemed himself with a fiery spell on the final day. Prasidh Krishna also took four wickets, leading India’s fightback on Day 4
Jamie Overton was fuming after an LBW review saw the ball would’ve barely hit the wickets, given as umpire’s call, before Josh Tongue was given out LBW but successfully reviewed a few balls later.
Tongue was then bowled forcing the injured Chris Woakes to come out and bat with one arm in a sling, due to a dislocated shoulder which is expected to cost him the Ashes.
Woakes nearly had to face a delivery but he and Gus Atkinson successfully ran a bye on the final ball of the over several times, with India missing an easy run-out attempt missing.
But Atkinson was eventually clean bowled by Siraj to complete the victory and level this equally contested, largely batsmen dominating series at 2-2.
A result a young Indian team captained by Shubman Gill will be pretty proud of as they have been overall the better team in this series, just that England won some crucial moments which took away few games from Indias grasp.
It was India’s narrowest ever win in Test cricket.
“It just shows that both teams came with their ‘A’ game and I am very happy to get over the line in this one,” India captain Shubman Gill told Sky Sports.“When you have got bowlers bowling a spell like Siraj, captaincy seems easy.”
Spotlight on large-hearted champion bowler, Mohammed Siraj!
After a shocking piece of misfortune that came during the fourth day of the final Test at The Oval. He was stationed at fine leg, and misjudged a high lofted shot from England’s Man Of The Series’ Harry Brook and in his effort to prevent a six, accidentally stepped on the boundary cushion. The error cost India six crucial runs and added to the pressure of the match situation.
However, in a powerful display of determination, the Hyderabad-born cricketer turned it all around. His match-winning spell in the final Test not only erased the pain and setbacks but also firmly placed him at the heart of India’s fightback. With nine wickets in the match, he was rightfully named Player of the Match, helping India draw the series and script a memorable comeback.
Siraj’s overseas Test record continues to impress. In nine Test wins for India in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) countries, he has taken 51 wickets at an outstanding average of 18.92, including four five-wicket hauls.
From the emergence of Shubman Gill as the run machine with 754 runs in the series to how well KL Rahul & Ravindra Jadeja have stepped into the shoes of being the most experienced batsmen in the team. It was pleasing to see Sai Sudharshan, Washington Sundar & Yashaswi Jaiswal deliver on their potential in such a hard-fought, physically & mentally draining series.
England had their fair share of positives with Ben Stokes proving to the world how good an all-rounder he is, to the return of Jofra Archer to the Test team. A lot of the usual Bazzball was on display, leading to some superbly entertaining Test matches. However, one must admit that England’s bowling reserves seem to be dwindling if their biggest assets, such as Jofra Archer or Mark Wood, don’t turn up; it’s not looking too rosy for England’s future tours.
To sum it up, this is the true essence of Cricket; Test Cricket at its best. For all the people who had doubts about this format surviving amidst all the T20 Leagues, series featuring some of the biggest names in modern times will produce games that will draw houseful crowds and also reignite the glory of the purest form of the game!
Courtesy: Courtesy: Written by Raghav Ravichandran (Cricket Analyst)
