The last Test of the series between India and England at the Oval stood up to every test of cricket’s excitement. Till the last moment, no one was in a position to say which team would win.
What Indian batsman KL Rahul said after the match proves why this Test will be a memorable match for cricket lovers.
KL Rahul said, “Many questions were being raised about the existence of Test cricket. The way both the teams have played the series, this question has been answered.”
On the fourth day of the match, while Mohammad Siraj was being trolled due to one of his ‘mistakes’, the same Mohammad Siraj proved to be the match winner on the fifth day.
Apart from this, there were many such moments in this match which either proved to be or could have been a turning point. Let’s take a look at five such memorable moments
1. Jaiswal-Akashdeep partnership
After trailing by 23 runs in the first innings, when the Indian team came out to bat in the second innings, at one point it was struggling with a score of 70 runs for the loss of two wickets.
India needed a big partnership. In such a situation, Yashasvi Jaiswal and night watchman Akashdeep became the troubleshooters for the Indian team.
Both added 107 runs for the third wicket and handled the team’s collapsing innings. Akashdeep scored 66 runs.
At the same time, Yashasvi Jaiswal helped India reach a respectable position by scoring a strong century. When established batsmen like Shubman Gill, Karun Nair and KL Rahul were not successful in the second innings, then in the lower order, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar scored excellent half-centuries and took India’s innings to 396 runs. Due to which India was able to give England a target of 374 runs.
2. That ‘catch’ of Harry Brook
On the fourth day of the match, Mohammad Siraj made such a ‘mistake’ that he became the target of some Indian cricket fans. The team could have had to pay a serious price for that ‘mistake’.
When the score reached 137 runs for three wickets, Prasidh Krishna came to bowl the 34th over of the innings.
Prasidh Krishna bowled the first ball short, on which Harry Brook played a pull shot and the ball reached deep fine leg in the air. Mohammad Siraj was standing there. Siraj, who took the most wickets in the series, caught the ball easily. The catch was completely in balance and pacer Krishna had even started celebrating the wicket.
But then Siraj made this mistake that after taking the catch, he did not pay attention to the boundary rope behind, he failed to judge how far he was from the boundary. This was the reason that his foot hit the boundary line.
This means that Harry Brook not only escaped from being out, but also six runs were added to his and the team’s account.
Harry Brook got this lifeline when his personal score was 19 runs.
England added 153 runs between lunch and tea break. Harry Brook was very aggressive and he completed his century in 91 balls. There was a partnership of 195 runs for the fourth wicket between Brook and Joe Root.
Harry Brook scored 111 and Joe Root scored 105 runs.
3. Harry Brook’s wicket
When Harry Brook and Joe Root were settled at the crease, England’s victory seemed almost certain.
When England was just 73 runs away from victory, Harry Brook went forward to play a stroke on Akashdeep’s ball, the ball did come on his bat but his bat slipped from his hand due to which the stroke did not get power and the ball bounced towards Mohammad Siraj.
Siraj made up for the mistake that he had made a few hours ago, he took this easy catch and ended Brook’s innings.
As soon as Brook was out, England’s wickets started falling one after the other.
4. Match winner Siraj
When the last day’s play started, England’s score was 339 runs for the loss of 6 wickets.
Despite the comeback of the Indian bowlers in the last session of the fourth day, England seemed to have the upper hand. But Mohammad Siraj had other intentions. The England batsmen had no answer to the balls of Siraj who came to the field refreshed.
He sealed the Indian victory by taking the wickets of Jamie Smith, Overton and Gus Atkinson.
5. When injured Chris Woakes came to the field
How important this match was for England is proved by the fact that when the team’s score was 357 runs for the loss of 9 wickets and England was just 17 runs away from victory, Chris Woakes came to the field despite being injured.
One of his hands was completely injured which he had hidden under his sweater.
It is clear that he was not even in a position to bat. Still he decided to come to the field. Due to this spirit of his, the spectators present in the field stood up and greeted him.
Gus Atkinson, who was present at the crease, kept him from taking the strike.
But eventually a superb delivery from Siraj scattered Atkinson’s stumps and despite Woakes’s determination, England lost the match.
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