7,187 runs, Gill's mastery, Rahul's brilliance, Jadeja's grit, but it was Siraj who had the final word

Hindustan Times

6 days ago

Shubman Gill and co. snatched the win from the jaws of defeat at the Oval to level the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-2. It was a tightly contested series where every single Test went to Day 5. While Edgbaston had a clearer outcome, the other four encounters went right down to the wire, with both sides having genuine chances to seal victory. At Old Trafford, England were cruising towards a win at one stage, but Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar's heroic efforts from the bat pushed it to a draw, which frustrated the hosts and eventually helped India draw the series with a win at the Oval. Mohammed Siraj was named Player of the Match at the Oval.(PTI)
The series opened with England pulling off a successful chase of 371 at Headingley. India responded emphatically in the second Test at Edgbaston, securing a dominant 336-run win to level the series.
England reclaimed the lead at Lord's, going 2-1 up, but tensions began to simmer during the third Test when their time-wasting tactics sparked the first major flashpoint in what became an increasingly heated contest. Old Trafford hosted the fourth Test, where India's remarkable rear-guard action helped them salvage a draw. England, however, were visibly frustrated as India refused to settle for a draw early, adding another layer of drama to the tightly-contested series. Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj turned the game on its head at The Oval, producing a fiery spell to snatch victory from the brink and ensure the series ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw.
The series produced a staggering 7,187 runs in total—the second-highest ever in Test history and the most in any five-match series. India contributed 3,807 of those runs, the most ever by a team in a five-Test series and second overall in all Test history.
It started with five centuries scored by Indians - KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant (in both innings) at Leeds —an extraordinary feat. Yet, in a stunning twist, India became the first team in Test history to lose a match despite posting five individual hundreds.
In the five Tests, 21 centuries were scored - which equalled the record for most tons in a single Test series. Meanwhile, it was the Indian batters who dominated the scoring charts with 12 centuries to their names, equalling the record for the most by a single team in one series.
Three Indian players scored over 500 runs —Gill (754), Rahul (532), and Jadeja (516)—a rare feat achieved by only five other teams in Test cricket. Jadeja etched his name in the history books by becoming the first Indian to amass over 500 runs in a Test series while batting at No. 6 or lower — a feat no other Indian has managed before.
Meanwhile, Gill amassed 754 runs in the 2025 Test series against England, which stands as the second-highest total by an Indian batsman in a single Test series. Sunil Gavaskar remains the only Indian to have scored more in a series, with 774 runs during the 1971 tour of the West Indies.
In a series largely dominated by batters on friendly pitches, The Oval flipped the script,becoming the stage where bowlers had the final word to decide the series.
For England, Gus Atkinson claimed a five-wicket haul in the first innings; meanwhile, for India, Siraj and Krishna decided the fate of the contest and series. Siraj, the leader of the attack at the Oval, picked nine wickets across two innings.
The series reached a gripping climax as six wickets fell in the final 15 overs, including a flurry of four during a tense eight-over spell on the last morning.
Siraj ended the match by clean bowling Gus Atkinson, marking the 45th time a batter was bowled in the series—the highest in any Test series since 1984, and the most in an England-based series since 1976. The Indian pacer also finished the series with the most wickets - 23.