Just as they have done all series, India refused to fade out even after Joe Root and Harry Brook had seemingly extinguished the lights with hundreds. Neither did the Indian section in the crowd. With less than 40 runs needed, they first found their voice, hollering away and that relentless warrior Mohammed Siraj conjured a series of magical deliveries to inspire his team-mate Prasidh Krishna, who took out Root with 37 runs still needed.
The runs dried up, ball kept beating the bat or pinging the pad, Indians kept appealing, and blood it seemed was draining off England’s lower order. Then light literally gave away as the sun went out of The Oval with England still needing 35 runs. India, England, and this astonishing series remains alive for one another day in paradise.
And to think that the Indian fight had seemingly evaporated out of the arena when on 94, Brook drove a Washington Sundar ball to wide long-off. Akash Deep dragged his tired legs to the ball, too knackered to bend down, he would put out his foot to stop the ball. He would fail, the ball would roll over the fence. Two balls later, Brook would get his 100 and the Oval would bring the roof down. On the boundary rope, a sullen Akash Deep would massage his aching arms not far from where Siraj would have clasp his head with his hands. This seemed to be the moment that broke India’s back, but clearly this lot is made of sterner stuff.
England still needed 80 odd runs to win the Test and the series and things were almost on autopilot. While Brook would be celebrated for his 111 but he wasn’t able to take England home. He charged out to Prasidh after hitting two fours in that over to have an almighty swing and his bat flew out of his hand even as the ball settled into Siraj’s hands at cover. Little did one know that the moment of indiscretion was to leave a mark in the game and the series.
However, Root, fresh on the podium of the all-time Test run-getters, showed the nuance and art of scoring big and winning matches. In this series of 20-something heroes, on the final day of the grueling contest was desperate to show that he was the difference between the two sides. And he nearly was until he fell, edging a straightener outside off from Prasidh to a diving Jurel, and leaving England still 37 runs short.
This has been a theme to this draining and engrossing series. There would be those long stretched phases of intense battle, those very close ‘who blinks first’ situations. This is followed by a one ‘slip up’ that suddenly deflates the match. In this case, it was Brook’s implosion and Root’s dalliance with danger. At Manchester, England dropped Ravindra Jadeja on the first ball and he foiled India’s victory bid. This too had the famous Ben Stokes ‘give up’.
At Oval, India too got a chance when Harry Brook was dropped on 19 by Siraj on the fence as he stepped over the line to his utter agony. Returning after a short break in the dressing room, Siraj took his fielding position on the fine leg, guarding the fence since Brook was trying to break the shackles.
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Barely settled, standing way off the central square, the spotlight was suddenly on him. Brook had pulled Prasidh and the looping ball seemed to be landing on Siraj. The pacer caught the ball comfortably but his right leg inadvertently touched the boundary cushion behind him. The score could have gone from 137/3 to 137/4 but now it was 143/3. England had survived.
All series Siraj has been running in like a tireless warrior, conjuring some magic from unresponsive Dukes balls but was left to rue that one betrayal of his feet. Just like Shane Warne in the epic 2005 series-deciding final Test at the same venue had dropped Kevin Pietersen on 15 and saw him churn a match-winning 158. Such is life.
This morning it was said that Ben Duckett vs Siraj was to be the face-off that would decide this game. After the highest wicket-taker of the series had got Zak Crawley with the final ball of the day, he was tipped to get his batting partner too. The duel lived up to its billing and produced one of the many riveting bat-ball contests of this series. Siraj would bowl from over-the-wicket to the left-handed Duckett and try to get his outside edge. He had the perfect ball for him – the wobbly-scrambled seam ball that went away after pitching.
In one over, Siraj would beat Duckett’s outside edge 5 times. Just when you thought India was winning the contest, the England opener would strike back. In the next over, Siraj would try his swinging full ball with fingers behind the seam in a conventional position but it was a bit short and Duckett would drive for a boundary. There was one more four and the score had been settled. In the third over, Siraj had the England opener playing and missing again. Prasidh, the first change bowler, would benefit from the pressure created by Siraj and he got Duckett caught in the slip, edging a full angler while driving the ball.
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Ollie Pope’s cameo wasn’t quite a captain’s knock and the now it was upto to the former and future captains – Root and Brook – to take them home. Perfect for the job was Brook. He had to take chances and thus be lucky. And that’s when Siraj’s drop came and Brook and Root would make it count. The heir-apparent of England cricket would keep swinging the bat to hit big hits. Root would do the same but his strokes were more refined. Their first small victory came when the Indian captain had to rest his three pacers. But whatever he threw at Brook and Root, they had an answer.
Shubman had a brief dalliance with spin but didn’t quite work. With the ball close to 50 overs old, what would Shubman do next? He tried his other pet tactic – asking wicket-keeper Jurel to stand up to Akash Deep. The off-side boundary would be left vacant and at 30-yards from the point to extra cover there would be a sprinkling of catcher. Against the well-set batsmen this too didn’t work.
It was left to that man Siraj again to incredibly find some energy in himself and inject it to his team-mates. Egged on by the fans, when Jacob Bethell fell, trying to slog Prasidh, Siraj suddenly started to threaten the pads of Root with his curling nipbackers from a old, soft ball. Couple of lbw shouts turned up, Prasidh too started to produce the odd threatening delivery and just as Root, the fourth-innings chase hero of England, was soaking up the pressure, he fell and the game hung on a knife’s edge.
Who will blink first on Monday? Will Chris Woakes have to come out with a dislocated shoulder and bat one-handed? Will Siraj and co. produce one final drama in this soap opera of a Test series?
