New Delhi [India], August 5 (ANI): Following Team India’s series draw against England, Indian pace spearhead took to social media, expressing his happiness on what was a “competitive and enthralling” series.
With skipper Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj leading the batting and wicket-taking charts, Team India secured a memorable six-run win at The Oval to end the series on a 2-2 draw.
Taking to Instagram, Bumrah posted, “We take back great memories from a highly competitive and enthralling test series! Looking forward to what’s next.”
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Bumrah was the joint-fourth highest wicket-taker in the series, with 14 scalps in three matches at an average of 26.00, with best figures of 5/74. He also took a total of five-wicket hauls. He played only three Tests due to workload management, returning to Test cricket after a 18-wicket Indian Premier League (IPL) season with Mumbai Indians (MI), using the competition to prepare himself for the tour following an injury lay-off, sustaining a back fracture during a 32-wicket Border-Gavaskar-Series against Australia.
Coming to the match, after England opted to bowl first, they reduced India to 153/6. A 58-run partnership between Karun Nair (57 in 109 balls, with eight fours) and Washington Sundar (26 in 55 balls, with three fours) was the most meaningful part of the inning as India was bundled out for 224 runs. Apart from Gus Atkinson’s five-wicket haul, Josh Tongue (3/57) was also good.
In the second innings, four-fers from Siraj (4/86) and Prasidh Krishna (4/62) reduced England to 247, despite a 92-run opening stand between Zak Crawley (64 in 57 balls, with 14 fours) and Ben Duckett (43 in 38 balls, with five fours and two sixes) and a fifty by Harry Brook (53 in 64 balls, with five fours and a six). They led by 23 runs.
In India’s second innings, key contributions came from Yashasvi Jaiswal (118 in 164 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes), Akash Deep (66 in 94 balls, with 12 fours), Ravindra Jadeja (53 in 77 balls, with five fours) and Washington Sundar (53 in 46 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes).
Sundar stitched a very crucial 10th wicket stand with Krishna, with the latter scoring nothing out of it and Sundar doing all the hitting.
They all took India to 396 runs, giving them a 373-run lead and setting a target of 374 runs for England to win the series.
India started well, reducing England to 106/3. However, fine centuries from Harry Brook (111 in 98 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes) and Joe Root (105 in 152 balls, with 12 fours) troubled India with a 195-run stand for the fourth wicket. At one point, England was 317/4 on day four. However, a late surge by Siraj (5/104) and Krishna (4/126) shifted the pressure to England, and they were left six runs short, bundled out for 367 runs.
The series is drawn 2-2, reflecting the true nature of how well-fought the series was. The Shubman Gill era has started with immense promise and fight, giving signs of a bright future. (ANI)
