On the last day of the series, a low full toss from Siraj uprooted the off-stump of Gus Atkinson, ending a gutsy knock under pressure and resulting in a dramatic win for India and the closest margin of victory in tests. One hit over the fence and the outcome would have been different – both for the fifth test as well as for the series.
The pulsating game was a fitting finale to a well fought series where fortunes swung like a pendulum from one team to the other. Both teams showed great character, perseverance and skill with instances over the eight-week long series where both sides vulnerabilities were also exposed. In the end, a 2-2 series outcome was most appropriate as there was little to separate both sides in batting or bowling.
The series in summary
The opening match of the series at Headingly set the tone with a high-scoring thriller that went right down to the wire. India posted a huge 471 in their first innings, thanks to centuries from Jaiswal, skipper Gill and vice-captain Pant. Inspite of Bumrah’s fifer, England responded well with a strong 465 – only six runs behind.
In the second innings, Indian middle order looked set to pose a target of 400+. But after Rahul’s departure on 333/5, a dramatic collapse ensued and India were bundled out for just 364. England had just over a day and they successfully navigated the chase of 371 runs in true Bazball fashion with Duckett playing an exceptional innings of 149 in just 170 balls.
India needed to find an immediate answer to this Bazball challenge thrown early at them in the series and they did so by bouncing back strongly in Edgbaston to level the series. Shubman Gill led from the front and scored a brilliant 269 to give India a commanding 170 run lead. In the second innings it was again a Shubman show as India set a mammoth target of 608. Under pressure, England fell to debutant Akashdeep’s swing and accurate length for a heavy 336-run defeat. This would prove to be the only test in the five-match series that was one-sided.
However, fortunes swung back quickly in England’s favour at Lord’s in a thriller. The first innings saw both teams post exactly 387 runs. Root dug in and scored a hundred for England and Rahul did the same for India. Washington Sundar’s four-wicket haul helped India restrict England in the second innings to a measly 192. However, after a splendid show in Test 2, India’s top and middle order collapsed – Archer and Stokes doing most of the damage. Inspite of Jadeja’s inspired fightback with the tail, India fell short by 22 runs. When the ball rolled onto Siraj’s stump after defiance for 13 overs, it was heart break for millions of viewers back home who had tuned in expecting to see India go up 2-1.
In the penultimate game at Manchester, the hosts took a hefty first innings lead of 311 runs. They had a firm grip on the proceedings when India went two wickets down in the second innings, with only a single run on the board at lunch on day 4. Staring at a potential innings defeat, Indian batsmen showed outstanding grit and passion as not many teams in this situation would believe they could bat five sessions to salvage a draw. It was an epic survival act that we have not seen for a long time. The determined defence from Rahul and Gill on day four was followed by the rugged resistance from Jadeja and Sundar for most of the final day to secure a very memorable draw.
In the last test at the Oval on a green top wicket, the first innings was a low scoring affair with England managing to scrape a slender lead of 23 runs. The pace at which the game was moving meant the match would finish early unlike the preceding four matches that had all gone the distance. But the Indian batsmen had other ideas and carried some of the momentum from the last test. Jaiswal’s classy century, a cameo of 66 runs from night-watchman Akashdeep, and Jadeja and Sundar’s stubborn fifties set England a challenging 374 on a tricky Oval surface. This time though England had the luxury of more than five sessions to accomplish this target, unlike the first test when they eclipsed a similar total in just a little over three sessions. The Indian bowlers were wayward and looked clueless on day four on a pitch that offered assistance. Brook and Root dished out a masterclass and almost won the match and series for their team. However, on an action-packed last hour of the day and the first hour on day five, Siraj gathered all the belief he could and smartly used the pitch and overcast conditions to swing the ball both ways. Krishna played a supporting role from the other end and for the last time in the series, the pendulum swung in India’s favour. This six-run victory would be regarded as one of the most memorable wins for India much like the Gabba heist in 2021.
Key talking points of the series
On the other hand, everyone applauded the indomitable spirit of Pant (fractured ankle) and Woakes (dislocated shoulder) who courageously came out to bat to navigate their teams out of trouble
Shubman Gill’s great start as a captain, although probably he has a long way to go and may need to iron out strategic decision making e.g. there was no plausible reason why Sundar was only called onto bowl after 70 overs in the fourth test.
India’s young batting unit fought hard and to their potential although they also ended up paying a huge price for a few needless run-outs and rash shots at a few key critical moments
India’s fielding lapses especially Jaiswal’s dropped catches early in the series also proved to be quite costly
The Gabba win had already proven that India could win without their stalwarts. This series further established that a young inspired team could still do the same as they did without Bumrah in two matches and without Pant in the last test
England prepared mostly flat pitches and both teams’ bowling units had to toil hard for several sessions at a stretch. This contributed to a record-breaking number of centuries and runs aggregated in this series
The Dukes cricket ball was at the centre of controversy due to its tendency to soften and lose shape quickly. This led to frequent ball changes during matches
The effectiveness (or lack of) of England’s Bazball approach especially against teams like India and Australia was once again exposed
The ‘spirit-of-cricket’ debate reared its head especially in fourth test heading towards a draw, with the mentally and physically drained English team wanting to walk off while the Indian batsmen expressed their desire to play on and achieve their well-deserved milestones
Looking ahead
India’s next test outing is in October against a relatively less challenging opponent – West Indies, and this gives the Indian selectors some time to rethink and hone the team a bit – possibly bringing in Shreyas Iyer and playing specialist spinner Kuldeep Yadav in a couple of games depending on the pitch and conditions. Karun Nair and Sai Sudarshan’s fate remains uncertain as both performed well below expectations. Washington Sundar is nicely shadowing Jadeja in the all-rounder role and is likely to be retained which suggests Axar Patels’ return is less likely. Siraj seems to be enjoying leading the bowling unit in Bumrah’s absence but there are still concerns regarding the depth and performance of India’s pace unit.England are looking ahead at a tough Ashes tour commencing in November. The Australian pace quartet of Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins and Boland are likely to trouble their batsmen a lot more than the relatively inexperienced Indian attack and Australia are renowned to be the most formidable opponents, especially at home.
Revival of test cricket
While most pundits got the final series outcome completely wrong by writing off the young Team India – in the end, everyone including the spectators (and hopefully the readers as well) would agree that this series was one of the most entertaining series we have seen in the last few years. This foretells a somewhat secure future for Test cricket and it has already seen a revival of sorts over the last few years with more and more matches resulting in an outcome. Although we have also seen quite a few one-sided games ending in 3 days or less.
We need this exciting format to continue to pull not only more eye-balls and therefore more sponsors, but also attract record crowds to stadiums to witness such great spectacles as we have seen over the last 8 weeks!
– Sanjay Khanna
