Very rare in cricket or sport did one witness sech sensation ebb and flow, with the pendulum swinging at every stage. It was testament that possibly no sport has the suspense or thrill of test cricket. It reminded one of a 360 degree turn in plot of a Hollywood epic. When set dauting target of 373 England were in the woods at 104-3 and at 164 had Mohamad Siraj not dropped Harry Brook, England may well have been done and dusted. The 195-run partnership between Joe Root and Harry Brook all bit sealed the game for England. One must never overlook the significance of how India clawed back in the 1st inning reducing England from 175-4 to 247.It was disappointing to see the English batsmen cave in so tamely after looking like sailing along. What triggered the sensational turnabout was the dramatic change in weather conditions, with flat pancake turning into a paradise for seam bowlers. This match, particularly the ending, was an advertisement or symbolised the glory of test cricket. After a titanic series when players were pushed to the limits, verbals and moral judgments were traded and ended with a stricken Woakes courageously defying the pain.
The 2-2 series result reflected the intense competitiveness of the 2sides. In the first and third tests India had the upper hand in the 1st innings but failed to sustain the tempo to lose. In the 2nd test India most comprehensively defeated England, by a record margin. In the 4th test at Manchester, Washington Sundar and Ajay Jadeja’s heroic centuries, robbed England of what seemed an inevitable triumph, after India were tottering at 0-2, facing a 308 runs Ist innings deficit. India escalated courage and mental tenacity to realms rarely transcended in sport. In the earlier game at Lords, when all seemed lost at 114-8, the heroics of Ravindra Jadeja brought India to just 22 runs adrift from victory.
That England came within a doorstep of a second 370‑plus run chase in the space of six weeks speaks volumes. I commiserate for England for not crossing over the line after making the target look like a walk in the park, but feel that in the last 2 tests they simply lacking the killer instinct to deliver the final knockout punch. I feel sorry for the English supporters who with a bit more luck may have won the series 3-1.and can’t express my disappointment of England not crossing the line. At the Oval.
I ponder between whether it was Cricket that was the greater winner or India’s miraculous comebacks, in this series.
