Indian pacers keep England in check
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News18
39 minutes ago
- News18
An English Summer to Remember: Team in transition passes trial by fire
London, Aug 5 (PTI) Not much was expected out of Shubman Gill and his team when they landed in England roughly two months ago. Five fiercely fought Tests later, the relatively inexperienced bunch not only exceeded expectations, it also gave a fine blueprint for the future. In the words of two captains, Gill and his rival number Ben Stokes, 2-2 is probably a fair result after a 45-day slugfest. The two games that India lost, the series-opener at Leeds and the third Test at Lord's, could have easily gone the other way around but those are the learnings that the players would take back home. The times Gill and his men looked down and out, specifically Lord's, Old Trafford and The Oval, they refused to give up and on two occasions made a gladiatorial comeback that would aptly sum up the spirit of this team. PTI looks back at the iconic moments of the series and the contributions of the players who came of age during the series or are returning home wiser. Captain Gill's giant impact ================= Young leaders would dream of what Gill managed to achieve in his first series as Test captain. Having not done well in English conditions during past outings, there was a major question mark over his abilities as a batter, not to forget as captain. Gill needed to earn the respect of the dressing room and he did that with a stellar 147 in his first innings of the tour. Gill had his issues against the incoming ball but he found a way to deal with them. After the low returns at Lord's, Gill came up with his most significant knock of the tour — a match saving 103 in Manchester. In the end, he aggregated a staggering 754 runs in 10 innings. Gill came of age as a batter but as captain, he knows he remains a work in progress. On Monday, he was lauded for keeping the fielders in the deep with England nine down and 17 runs away from the target. He also kept it simple by not taking the new ball when the old one was aiding Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. Siraj throws workload management out of window =============================== Mohammed Siraj, the only fast bowler on either side to play in all five Tests, fittingly took the final wicket of the series at The Oval and ended up as the leading wicket taker with 23 scalps. With the peerless Jasprit Bumrah not around for two Tests due to workload management, Siraj rose to the occasion. Like opposition captain Ben Stokes, he put his hand up when a few extra overs needed to be bowled to maintain pressure. Questions over Bumrah's fitness will remain and his future in the longest format is unclear. But trust Siraj to be around to nurture the new crop of pacers. In the words of bowling coach Morne Morkel, India need a batch of five to six fast bowlers to be ready for the physically punishing assignments of England and Australia. Ravindra Jadeja excels =============== Jadeja's exploits flew under the radar when the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were around. With the superstars now retired, Jadeja had to make up for the inexperience in the batting department. With 516 runs in the middle order including five fifties and a rearguard hundred at Old Trafford, the 36-year-old ended up having a series to remember. In case of a collapse, Jadeja stood in the middle like a rock, averaging the highest among the Indian batters with four not outs in the series. Tempers flare: Last over on day three at Lord's ============================== The series will be remembered for its highly competitive nature. The first two Tests were played in a relatively incident-free environment but with stakes getting higher, on-field tensions between the two team added to the spice. The most significant of those moments was Jasprit Bumrah's final over at Lord's on day three. Captain Shubman Gill asking Zak Crawley to grow some **** and the whole team sarcastically clapping at the England opener for delaying the proceedings will forever be talked about in the context of India-England rivalry. On-field tensions became the norm after that incident including at Old Trafford where Stokes showed his frustration at India choosing to bat in the mandatory last 15 overs of the day despite draw being the only possible result. Pant and Woakes' iconic acts of bravado ========================= What also lifted the profile of the series was the iconic acts of heroism from Rishabh Pant and Chris Woakes. While Pant came out to bat with a fractured foot to add crucial runs in the first innings in Manchester, Woakes, already ruled out of the game due to a shoulder injury, came out to bat on day five of the final Test with the series on the line. His left hand was tied with a sling and he was in no position to bat but he was still out there fighting for his team, summing up the intensely competitive environment of the series. Rahul's reliable presence at the top, Washington on track ==================================== The most assured batter on either side of the dressing room was undoubtedly K L Rahul. In majority of his innings, he put up a masterclass of batting in English conditions. He played the ball late and close to his body, frustrating the bowlers with his water tight technique. Besides Gill and Jadeja, he was the other Indian batter to tally more than 500 runs in the series including two hundreds. In the lower-order, the poise of Washington Sundar stood out and he also made a telling contribution with his off-spin in Manchester. India remained firm on having batting till eight and Washington ensured the team did not have to move from its chosen path. His gutsy hundred alongside Jadeja to save the game at Old Trafford sealed his place in the eleven for the foreseeable future and at The Oval, he showed he can seamlessly shift to attacking when required. PTI BS PM PM PM (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: August 05, 2025, 13:15 IST News agency-feeds An English Summer to Remember: Team in transition passes trial by fire Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
'I miss Jasprit Bumrah': Mohammed Siraj after his heroics at The Oval Test
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj (Agency Photos) Mohammed Siraj celebrated India's victory in the fifth Test against England while expressing his admiration for Jasprit Bumrah , who was absent during this crucial match. Siraj secured a five-wicket haul in the second innings at The Oval, leading India to a six-run victory over England and drawing the series 2-2 on Monday. His outstanding performance of nine wickets in the match earned him the Man of the Match Award and widespread recognition. "Every batsman, every bowler (who played the Test), hat's off to him... and the way we came back, crazy man. I miss Jassi (Bumrah) bhai because had he been there, it would have been special. I believe in Jassi bhai and myself," said an emotional Siraj in a video posted by BCCI. Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj press conference: India stars answer all questions Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Bumrah was released from the Indian squad after the fourth game to manage his workload, missing the final Test. Watch: After dropping Harry Brook's catch on Sunday, Siraj showed renewed determination on the final day. His morning session bowling on Monday proved challenging for English batters. "To be honest, the emotions I have right now (after the win), I cannot describe them because yesterday (Sunday) I dropped the catch. When I was going to bed (after day 4), I was only thinking about 'how could I drop it'. Had I taken that catch, we wouldn't have had to come out and play on Monday. We would have been in the room relaxed. But the Almighty had something else in store for us. He brought us to the stadium on Monday and the result is in front of everyone," Siraj said. The crucial catch was missed when Siraj stepped onto the boundary rope while attempting to catch Brook's shot at fine leg on day four. "When I woke up in the morning (on Monday), my inner self told me that I can do it, I can change the game. I had that belief," he said. "I woke up in the morning and checked google on my phone and took out a 'Believe' emoji wallpaper and told myself that I will do it for the country. I always believe that I can win the game from any point, and did that in the morning." Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Big Twist! Baz McCullum Wanted Siraj To Be POTS, Not Gill: 'He Turned It Around'
Last Updated: Dinesh Karthik has revealed that Brendon McCullum wanted to nominate Mohammed Siraj for Player of the Series but couldn't change his original decision to give it to Shubman Gill. Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik has revealed that England coach Brendon McCullum wanted Mohammed Siraj, and not Shubman Gill, to be his Player of the Series (POTS) after the Oval Test ended on Monday. Karthik said after the fourth day, Gill was McCullum's first choice and he told it to Mike Atherton, the English broadcaster hosting the presentation, but changed it after Siraj's spell won India the last Test to level the series. However, by that time, the questions and presentation were prepared with Gill as the POTS. 'If the match had gotten over yesterday (Day 4), Shubman Gill was the man of the series," Karthik said on Cricbuzz. 'Brendon McCullum had said Shubman Gill. And obviously, Atherton was the one doing the presentation. So, he had all the questions ready. Everything was for Shubman Gill." 'Match got over today and Baz McCullum turned it around in a matter of half an hour, 40 minutes to Mohammed Siraj," Karthik added. 'He even spoke about him in the post-match with Sky Sports — about how he enjoyed watching Siraj bowl and all the eloquent things he had to say about him." McCullum was indeed effusive in his praise for Siraj's game-changing abilities. Siraj took a fifer in the second innings and a total of nine wickets in the Test, including the final one of Gus Atkinson with a searing yorker. He ended the series as the top wicket-taker with 23 scalps. Gill, on the other hand, was the highest run-scorer with 754 runs, the second highest for an Indian ever in an away series. 'Siraj can rise beyond Bumrah now': Karthik Karthik added that the fact that Siraj could step up and lead India's wins in the two Tests that Jasprit Bumrah didn't play, showed that he could now rise 'beyond' the senior quick. 'This is a five-Test match series where bat has dominated the ball," Karthik said. 'It's been hard work. And this boy has come in running every day of the series, when given the ball, with his heart out… When Bumrah didn't play, Siraj stepped up and showed what it takes to win. It's obviously no reflection on Bumrah. Because he is such a genius that you rely so much on Jasprit Bumrah to do the goods. But the fact is that when he wasn't around, Mohamed Siraj stepped up. Showed what it takes to win. You know, I think he can now rise beyond," he added. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
