Follow UsIndia went into the final day of the fifth Test at The Oval against England with 35 runs to defend and four wickets to get. Mohammed Siraj led the way for them as he finished with nine in the match to hand India a memorable six-run victory.
However, over the course of the series, India had plenty of moments. But they failed to fully capitalise on them, which saw them go into the final Test 2-1 down. Given the good cricket India have played throughout the series, former England captain Nasser Hussain believes that it would have been a travesty had they lost the series 3-1.
“It would have been a travesty had England won the series 3-1. India deserve to make it 2-2 for the amount of good cricket they have played in this series. The final scoreline was well and truly deserved by India, and it was very fitting for Siraj to get the final wicket,” Hussain said on Sky Cricket.
Another former skipper, Michael Vaughan, feels England panicked as they collapsed 301/3 at Tea on Day 3 to 367 all out.
“You have to say that England did panic. The ball was swinging around, and they went for this high-risk attacking option. They just needed one partnership. They panicked in a way that they can with the way that they play. It’s not panic — it's just the way that they play. They play with a huge amount of aggression,” he told BBC Test Match Special.
While Siraj walked away with the Player of the Match Award, Shubman Gill and Harry Brook were the Players of the Series.