Test cricket needed a thrilling, feisty series like this – even if the schedule has been too tight, writes NASSER HUSSAIN
India will feel like they deserve to get on their flight home next week having drawn this exceptional series.
They have won as many sessions as England, if not more. They have just been found wanting in some of the crucial moments. But they can put that right today.
I have been hugely impressed with the character and fight they have shown throughout this series. Some people thought they might roll over after the way they lost at Headingley, but they have since shown what a tough side they are to beat.
It is especially impressive when you consider they lost legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli right before the series. One thing you know about India, though, is that when great players retire, others will come along and make their mark.
With the bat, the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Rishab Pant have done just that. These are players who will take India into the future and score a lot of runs for them.
They have also got two fantastic all-rounders in Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. And then you’ve got Mohammed Siraj, who has shown massive character and heart, particularly when Jasprit Bumrah has not played.
India will feel like they deserve to get on their flight home next week having drawn the series
The five Test Matches have been feisty, but thrilling, and it’s exactly what Test Cricket needed
With Chris Woakes going down injured for England, Siraj is the only fast bowler who has lasted the course of the series and put in spell after spell.
He is the sort of bloke a captain absolutely loves. He lifts the team. I always talk about Darren Gough being that sort of person when I was England captain, and Siraj is that man for India.
This series has been feisty and played with a bit of needle and I like that.
I did not like Akash Deep putting his arm around Ben Duckett after he got him out on Friday. For me, any form of physical contact is a no-no.
But in general, the fight between the teams has made it much more watchable. It has been great TV.
We talked at the start of the summer about two iconic series coming up for England, India at home and then Australia away. When you build a series up, sometimes it can be a bit one-sided and deflating. But this has not disappointed and I think Test cricket needed a series like this.
There have been so many memorable moments. There was that over at Zak Crawley on the last night at Lord’s. You had Pant strolling down the stairs on one leg at Old Trafford, hobbling around as he batted with a broken foot.
Here at the Oval, we saw Joe Root – the most mild-mannered, calm individual – going off at one after some verbals from Prasidh Krishna. Then there was Sai Sudharsan, another calm person, walking into the England huddle and having words with Duckett.
England opener Zak Crawley became embroiled in an argument with Shubman Gill at Lord’s
Rishabh Pant took to the crease after breaking his foot at Old Trafford
Mohammed Siraj was bowled on the final day at Lord’s as India tried to pull off an extraordinary victory
I have enjoyed every single minute of it. The only downsides have been the pitches and the schedule.
Make no mistake, this series needed this Oval pitch.
Although every Test has gone to the last session, it has slightly been too much in favour of the bat. Here, ball has dominated bat just enough to make it an incredibly watchable match.
As for the schedule, five Tests in six weeks has been too tight and the dates have also been odd. I agreed with Ben Stokes when he questioned why there have been two long turnarounds between Tests, of eight or nine days, and then two short ones of three days. It would be better to have a five-day break between them all.
There has to be some leeway because every venue wants weekend cricket. But it is mad to push cricketers to the limit, especially on the pitches that they have played. You have to look after them.
The epic series comes to its conclusion at The Oval with England chasing 374
It is no surprise when you get to the last Test and you are without world-class cricketers like Bumrah and Stokes.
It is a shame that after today we will not have any Test matches until the big one in Australia.
Still, it is incredible that you can get to the 24th day of the series and you still do not know which way it will go.
Of course, India are favourites to win today but, because of the way England play, you can never rule them out.
A lot will depend on how this pitch plays, but the more the wicket does, the harder England will go at India.
Who knows, we could yet see one final twist, with England needing 20 to win and them wheeling Chris Woakes out to bat with his arm in a sling. It would certainly be a fitting way to finish this thrilling summer.
