India will return home satisfied after levelling their five-Test series against England following a dramatic six-run win at the Oval as the home side rue a costly late collapse.
The tourists came back from the dead in the deciding match, taking the last seven England wickets for just 66 runs to finish the series all-square at 2-2.
India arguably won more sessions than they lost over the five Tests, though England were clinical in key moments before failing to press home their advantage in the final match.
AFP Sport picks out three talking points from an enthralling series.
Mohammed Siraj ultimately proved the difference-maker for India, taking three wickets for nine runs in a match-winning spell on the final morning at the Oval.
The paceman was named player of the match for his figures of nine wickets for 190 runs.
Over the course of the series, in which he played every game, Siraj bowled an energy-sapping 185.3 overs, finishing as the leading wicket-taker on either side, with 23 scalps.
India made it clear before the series that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah would only play three Tests and stayed true to their word, leaving the world’s top-ranked bowler out of the final game.
But Siraj ultimately made sure the tourists did not miss him at the Oval.
“When I woke up today (Monday), I thought I could do it. I downloaded a picture from Google saying ‘believe’,” said Siraj.
Shubman Gill has just embarked on one of the toughest jobs in world sport — leading a team that carries with it the hopes and dreams of 1.4 billion people.
He has been mesmerising with the bat in England, falling just short of overhauling Sunil Gavaskar’s long-standing Indian record tally of 774 runs in a series.
India’s player-of-the-series has also grown into his role as skipper and oversaw a victory in the final Test when all had seemed lost.
The 25-year-old, who replaced Rohit Sharma as captain in May, arrived in England with a modest Test average of 35.
But he has led from the front to make 754 runs, including four centuries, finishing just 20 runs behind Gavaskar’s mark, set against the West Indies in 1971.
Gill combines elegant, classical batting with an ability to go through the gears when necessary.
This was most eye-catchingly showcased at Edgbaston, where he scored a majestic 269 in the first innings and a turbo-charged 161 in the second.
Gill’s batting in England will live long in the memory and his reign as captain is off to a solid start.
Ben Stokes sat out the fifth Test victory with a shoulder injury but has again demonstrated emphatically the value of a genuine all-rounder in the modern game.
The England skipper, 34, consistently looked the most dangerous of the home side’s bowlers, taking 17 wickets at 25 in 140 overs — the most he has ever bowled in a series.
He also played a crucial role with the bat, scoring 141 in England’s mammoth total of 669 in the drawn fourth Test at Old Trafford.
England’s bowling at times lacked penetration during the series but Stokes still possesses the rare ability to change a game in the blink of an eye.
The skipper has battled a succession of injuries but England will be desperate to have him on the plane to Australia for the Ashes, which start in November.
Express paceman Jofra Archer made a welcome return to the Test arena against India but played just two matches and his workload is being managed carefully.
Mark Wood, another bowler with genuine pace, has not played Test cricket for nearly 12 months and had knee surgery earlier this year.
AFP
AFP
AFP
