NEW DELHI: Following Team India’s thrilling series draw against England, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah took to social media to express his joy over what he called a “competitive and enthralling” contest. With captain Shubman Gill and pacer Mohammed Siraj topping the batting and bowling charts respectively, India sealed a memorable six-run win at The Oval to level the series 2-2.Posting on Instagram, Bumrah wrote, “We take back great memories from a highly competitive and enthralling test series! Looking forward to what’s next.”Despite playing only three Tests due to workload management, Bumrah finished as the joint-fourth highest wicket-taker in the series with 14 wickets at an average of 26.00, including best figures of 5/74. He returned to red-ball cricket after a strong 18-wicket IPL campaign with Mumbai Indians, using the tournament to prepare himself post an injury layoff, having previously sustained a back fracture during his 32-wicket haul in the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia.
In the final Test at The Oval, England won the toss and opted to bowl first. India were reduced to 153/6 before a 58-run partnership between Karun Nair (57 off 109 balls, 8 fours) and Washington Sundar (26 off 55 balls, 3 fours) added some stability. India were eventually bowled out for 224, with Gus Atkinson claiming a five-wicket haul and Josh Tongue contributing with 3/57.In reply, England were limited to 247 thanks to four-wicket hauls by Siraj (4/86) and Prasidh Krishna (4/62), despite a fiery 92-run opening stand between Zak Crawley (64 off 57, 14 fours) and Ben Duckett (43 off 38, 5 fours, 2 sixes), followed by a half-century from Harry Brook (53 off 64, 5 fours, 1 six). England took a narrow 23-run lead.India responded strongly in their second innings. Yashasvi Jaiswal led the charge with a brilliant 118 (164 balls, 14 fours, 2 sixes), supported by Akash Deep’s vital 66 (94 balls, 12 fours), Ravindra Jadeja’s 53 (77 balls, 5 fours), and Washington Sundar’s aggressive 53 (46 balls, 4 fours, 4 sixes). Sundar also played a crucial role in a last-wicket stand with Krishna, where he scored all the runs while Krishna held his end.
India posted 396, setting England a daunting target of 374 runs.India made early inroads, reducing England to 106/3, but the game swung back with centuries from Harry Brook (111 off 98, 14 fours, 2 sixes) and Joe Root (105 off 152, 12 fours), who added 195 for the fourth wicket. At 317/4, England looked set to pull off a historic chase. However, a stunning late burst from Siraj (5/104) and Krishna (4/126) turned the tide as England were bowled out for 367 — falling just six runs short.The dramatic finish brought the series to a 2-2 draw, a fitting end to a fiercely contested battle. With the emergence of Shubman Gill as captain and standout performances across the board, Indian cricket has entered a promising new era full of grit and character.
