New Delhi: The Oval doesn’t forget certain days. With a Monday morning in London thick with tension and with the series up for grabs, India held their nerves to script one of their narrowest victories in Test cricket—a six-run win to level the series 2-2.
It was not just a win. It was a great display of resilience and a reminder that Test cricket is truly the ultimate format.
When the play resumed on day five, England needed just 35 more runs with four wickets in hand. The Oval pitch was the most difficult of the series. It eased a little bit after four days of play, but it still had uneven bounce and movement for the seamers.
The crowd was bubbling with excitement as the players came out onto the filed at 11 am local time. Having two Jamies—Overton and Smith—till the end was important for England. The hosts hoped they would hang on and stitch together a partnership that would get them closer to victory.
India, on the other, had to stay patient. Desperation would have caused a downfall.
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The Siraj magic
With the ball in hand, the tone was set by Mohammed Siraj. He sent back Smith early, tempting him into a false shot with one that jagged just enough. That first wicket was in. Three more to go.
A little later, Overton raised hopes for England with successive boundaries. But Siraj was a man on a mission. He changed his line and length and trapped Overton in front with the one that pitched fullish. Now 8 down.
India needed two wickets, England needed 20 runs. This is where the nerve works. England panicked. And it cost them.
A Prasidh Krishna yorker, delivered with raw power, thudded into Josh Tongue stumps. Fast and furious, it was the kind of dismissal that would play in one’s mind for a long time. That dismissal brought together the last two pairs for England: Gus Atkinson and Chris Woakes.
The injured Woakes took to the crease with his arm in a sling and amid The Oval crowd up to applaud his courage. His was an act of bravery, guts and defiance, presenting a classic Test match moment. Meanwhile, Atkinson decided that just survival was not an option. He came down the track and lofted one six against the run of play. The target was now just 11 runs away.
England was just two-three boundaries away. But they had to hit it off Mohammed Siraj, the architect of England’s collapse in the first innings too.
For one final time in this memorable series, he charged in with all his energy and delivered a 143 kmph yorker. It demolished Atkinson’s off-stump. England was still six runs away. India was ecstatic.
The Indian players swarmed Siraj, a tribute befitting a man who took five wickets on a day he showed heart, grit and skills.
Woakes did not face a delivery, yet his show of courage to come out to bat with a shoulder wrapped in a sling would be remembered for a long long time.
Siraj was declared man of the match. “We knew if we kept hitting the right lengths, something would happen. It was about holding our nerves,” he told in the post-match interview.
It summed up the Indian morning. They didn’t out-bat England, nor did they blast them away. They outlasted them. They kept them under pressure until the cracks appeared.
A complete series
While The Oval match was a absolute Test classic, the four previous matches also presented a dramatic narrative—England’s brilliant chase at the Headingley, India’s comeback at Edgbaston, a nervy low-scoring victory for England at Lord’s, and then India’s brilliant escape at Old Trafford with a draw.
The five Tests had seen nonstop intensity since day one, with The Oval acting as the perfect curtain call.
The Oval victory did not only ensure the series ended 2-2, it also showed what belief can achieve on the cricket field. India was 1‑2 down. It fought through collapses, injuries, and poor luck at the toss (losing all five) to came away with honours even.
The Anderson‑Tendulkar Trophy remains shared. But for India, this six-run win at The Oval feels like more than a narrow victory. It feels like a statement—that no matter what the conditions are or what the odds might be, this team will fight till the very end.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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