‘Absolute goosebumps…’ Sachin Tendulkar leads legendary tributes after India made a NEW TEAM RECORD against England at The Oval- The Week

When the equation is 35 runs and four wickets, you’d mostly back the batting side in any format. More so if it is a Test match as the pressure of maintaining a run rate isn’t there. However, there are other factors that test players and mental fortitude is a big quality that you need to succeed in such situations. Unfortunately for England, they could not hold their nerve and India staged a heroic fightback to seal a thrilling six-run win at The Oval. It meant that the blockbuster five-match Test series fittingly ended 2-2, perhaps an ideal scoreline, given how closely fought and dramatic it was right through the series. It was also India’s first-ever win in the fifth Test of an away series.

As expected, sporadic reactions were on view in social media from former cricketers, fans and the pundits of the game. Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar could not hide his excitement as he expressed his feelings on the networking site X. This is how his post read:

“Test cricket… absolute goosebumps.

Series 2–2, Performance 10/10!

SUPERMEN from INDIA! What a Win. “

Former captain Sourav Ganguly also joined in and praised India’s young side for showing remarkable grit and determination in challenging conditions. The 52-year-old congratulated the entire team for their incredible effort in the series and maintained that Test cricket is indeed the best format. 

“Fantastic from Team India . Test cricket ,best format by far..congratulations to all members and coaches led by the fantastic shubman gill..Siraj has never let this team down any part of the world..such a treat to watch .well done prasidh,Akashdeep,jaiswal 

@mdsirajofficial @ShubmanGill”, wrote Ganguly with visible elation.

The five-match Test series was so tightly fought that all games in the series went into Day 5, an unprecedented achievement in the modern era of fast-paced cricket. If there ever was an advert for Test cricket, this would rank arguably at the top of the list. There were high quality performances, box-office drama and intense face-offs, particularly from the Lord’s Test onwards. The drama went over the roof in the closing stages of the Old Trafford Test match and The Oval too had its moments where tempers flared. 

Despite of all that, cricket was played in great spirits and there was undeniable mutual respect between the two teams. India’s captain Shubman Gill, who topped the run charts in his debut captaincy series, echoed the same sentiments. 

“I think the way both the teams played in the entire series, every day coming on day four, day five, never really knowing which team is going to win, really shows that both the teams came up with their A-game and very happy to get over the line in this one,” said Gill at the post-match presentation ceremony. 

Gill’s counterpart Ben Stokes also lauded the effort put in by both sides but England’s captain was understandably disappointed at the result in the fifth Test. The all-rounder also rued being unavailable for selection, given the impact he had made in the third and fourth Tests of the series. 

“Both teams have put so much energy and effort into this whole series. It’s been an amazing one to be a part of. But yeah, obviously, bitterly disappointed that we couldn’t get over the line here,” said Stokes in the presentation ceremony.

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