'I had admiration for him...': Brendon McCullum praised Mohammed Siraj and Indian Cricket Team for...
New Delhi: After drawing the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series 2-2 against India, England coach Brendon McCullum called it the best five-match Test series he has ever seen. He said, 'This was the best five-Test series I have ever been a part of or seen. It was full of excitement for six weeks. Sometimes it was intense, sometimes friendly spirit, sometimes great cricket and sometimes mediocre play, which happened because of pressure.' Both teams got a tough test
McCullum admitted that this series was more challenging than he had thought. 'We knew that this series would be tough, and India would test us mentally and physically. I think it proved to be tougher than our expectations for both the teams. The score of 2-2 was the right result.' Siraj gets coach's honor
When Mohammad Siraj took the last wicket, McCullum may have expressed disappointment, but he praised Siraj and said, 'When Siraj took the last wicket, as much as I was disappointed, I was equally appreciative of him and the fighting spirit he showed.' Playing five Tests is the toughest task
McCullum described the five-match Test series as the most mentally tiring. 'Playing all five days of all five Tests is very tough mentally. We had to call new players in the last Test. This is the toughest thing in cricket because it tests you not only as a player but also as a human being – you come to know from this how much you want to achieve it.' Missing opportunities is part of the game
Regarding the missed opportunities in the series, McCullum said, 'This happens throughout the series. India will also remember some missed opportunities in the first Test or the Lord's Test. Even last night, when Brook and Root were batting well, and India took 7 wickets for 60 runs – it shows that anything is possible in this game.' England will not deviate from its style
England will now stay away from Test cricket for some time and will play the next Test on November 21 in Perth as part of the Ashes series. McCullum said that the team will stick to its cricket style. 'When we deviate from our style, only then does our wicket-taking ability decrease. At Lord's, we repeated our philosophy and got the benefit of it.' Players progressed as a team
McCullum said, 'We also showed courage in batting when it was needed. There were many occasions in this series when we grew as a team. Even though we lost the last Test, there was an understanding in the dressing room that our own style gives us the biggest chance. It does not guarantee, but it definitely becomes our biggest hope.'
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