India vs England Highlights, 5th Test Day 5 Updates: Siraj, Prasidh bowl India to series-leveling win at The Oval

It’s safe to say that this will go down as one of the greatest pictures in Indian cricket history.

“Difficult when you can’t participate. Another hard-fought game. Both teams have put so much effort, amazing to be a part of. Bitterly disappointed we couldn’t go over the line but very proud of the team. There was never a question in Woakes’ mind about batting. We’ve had guys go out with broken foots, fingers, just shows what it takes to play for the country. The whole series has been awesome. There’s always going to be moments where emotions are coming out. No one will be going to bed crying about what was said. I felt good, happy with how I went with the ball. Hopefully, all the injuries are behind me. Rehab starts now and the big one’s coming in a few months. When one of your bowlers goes down so early in the game, the role of the other seamers changes. Even in the second innings, the heart and desire they showed was amazing. There were many what-ifs in the last five days, makes the game great, but all Brendon and I asked was to give it everything. Tongue, Atkinson and Overton showed it,” says the all-rounder, who sat out of the fifth Test due to injury.

India head coach Gautam Gambhir has picked England’s Player of the Series, with his English counterpart Brendon McCullum doing the same for the visitors.

“The way both teams played was great. Came into the final days not knowing the result, showing both teams came with their A game. When you have bowlers like SIraj and Prasidh like that, captaincy looks easy. I think the way we responded today was magnificent. We were confident, even yesterday, we knew there under pressure. We wanted to make sure it stayed throughout. Siraj is a captain’s dream. Gave it his all every ball and every spell he bowled. 2-2 is a fair reflection. It shows how passionate both teams were and how well they played. Very rewarding, my aim was to be the best batter this series and getting there is very satisfying. It’s always a matter of sorting things out technically and mentally, they are correlated. Learnings from the last six week: We never give up,” says Gill, who begins his tenure as India Test captain in style!

“To be honest, it feels amazing. We wanted to fight hard from Day 1 and to see this result is great. The plan was to keep it simple and hit one spot. When I woke up today I believed that I could do it. If I had taken that (Brook) catch properly probably we may not have had to come today. But Brook played really well. It was a heart-breaking moment. He was just telling me to middle the ball. Remember you Father and the hardwork you have put in to get here,” Siraj says during the presentation.

“I was just thinking that I should bowl in the right areas. To be honest, I didn’t think that I would take the (Brook) catch and step on the rope. It was a match-changing moment. Yes, I always believed myself that I will do it for the team,” the pacer, who finished with match-figures of 9/190 (4/86 and 5/104) told Sky Sports after the game.

Here’s a video of the match-winning moment:

“Win means absolutely everything. I’ve played cricket for years. Won Champions Trophy, seen the team lift the World Cup. Nothing compares to that. But so many questions about whether Test cricket stays or not, but both answered that question here with the way we’ve played. We weren’t given a chance but we’ve fought in every game and get 2-2, might be a draw, but for Indian Test cricket, this will rank right at the top and this is where change begins. Indian Test team will win a lot many things and more series. Not having Rohit, Virat, Ashwin hit me two weeks in. Everyone was coming to me to ask about English conditions. Then it hit me I’ve stepped into a different role now. Gill’s been phenomenal, led from the front. He’s formed connections, he’s done that. Tactically good, changes have gotten us wickets. He’ll go on to become a good Test captain,” says the opener.

Siraj had suffered a heartbreak in the third Test at Lord’s last month after getting cleaned up by Shoaib Bashir in the most unfortunate manner possible, resulting in India suffering a 22-run loss that allowed to sneak ahead.

Fast forward to the series finale at The Oval, and the pacer plays a key role in India’s series-leveling triumph with a nine-wicket match haul (4/86 and 5/104), which includes the wicket of Gus Atkinson that seals a thrilling victory for his team.

Nothing quite like Test cricket, as the old saying goes. India were facing the prospect of suffering a 3-1 series defeat when Harry Brook and Joe Root’s 195-run stand had England at 301/3 shortly before tea on Sunday.

The Indian pacers, however, refused to give up and brought India back into the contest with a superb fight back late in the day. And despite England being well-rested and the ground staff using the heavy roller at the start of the day, Siraj and Prasidh managed to bowl their side to victory with a flurry of strikes!

Speaking on Sky Sports Cricket during the lunch break, Shastri said, “The first hour was watchful—really good bowling, plenty of chat out there in the face of the batsmen, the fielders as well as the bowlers—and India picked up a couple of wickets. Then came the counterattack in the next hour. So a seesaw battle—suddenly there was a shift in the balance.”

“England started putting pressure on India, the fielders started disappearing into the outfield, catches were taken, going over the boundary line—everything started happening, which often happens when someone comes out there and bats like a Rishabh Pant. Harry Brook was doing a Rishabh Pant for England today, and you could see the momentum shift almost immediately,” added Shastri.