Having lost the toss, India were put to bat under some proper bowling conditions. England could have dominated the Indian batting lineup, but thanks to some solid opening partnership, India stormed into the game. After having 100 runs partnership for no loss, India were expected to make a pile of runs thereon. Clearly, we were on top. But India lost Rahane and Pujara for meager runs putting England on the pedestal again. Pant and Jadeja batted, making approx. 50 runs together, again pulling India back into the game.
When the conditions turned batting friendly, Root and the boys toyed with Indian bowlers, taking a lead of nearly 30 runs at the end of Day 3 letting India slip again. Fun part is they looked unlikely to take a lead at one stage due to quick wickets but Root, somehow, ensured they did.
It was a momentary glee when the last wicket of England’s fell on the last ball of Day 3. Fans wished the conditions to stay the same but if it did, it might end up in a draw one might think. However, England-weather had a different plan: the conditions turned gloomy, making it slightly difficult for the Indian openers. And India’s two cricketing stars—Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli—taking an aggressive approach, perished. England were right at it. I knew we would be losing this game at this pace but Pujara and Rahane, whose form was a concern, stepped up. They batted time. Luckily, the conditions turned better, which means, India came back into the game after them stitching a partnership of 100 runs. But that wasn’t enough to go past England.
At the end of Day 4, England came right back into the game, yet again, after dismissing both the settled batsmen. All hopes were on Pant to make some quick runs and post a minimum target of 200 so that India can have a go at England.
On day 5 when Pant got out early, England had grabbed a win here, we’d have thought but it was the efforts of the tailenders that raised the flag up from ‘will 200 be sufficient?’ to ‘270 is more than enough’. The boys were charged, words were exchanged, drama, everything was on! India cannot lose from here, either draw or a win.
When England came on to bat, it was a see-saw battle between a draw and a win. Both the openers went for ducks—yes, India’s gonna win. Root: “Not, until I’m here.”
The sky was gloomy every now and then, but we had only around 60 overs to bowl them out. We needed the bowling conditions but not too gloomy, which means, bad light ending up in a draw. However, both Root and Bairstow looked comfortable, marching towards a draw. It was Virat’s brilliant review just before Tea that India stomped its authority that we are going to win no matter what.
After Tea, when Root was dismissed, India had already won 70%, and just then, the sky cleared up, welcoming bright sunshine. The ball hardly did anything. It was coming in straight trajectories, not moving an inch. As the game reached its climax, with only 15 overs remaining, the clock had started to tick. And Butler and Robinson looked very comfortable killing time.
Only 9 overs remained for the day, and after all the drama, it was meant to be India’s win as a draw here will break our hearts. That’s when Bumrah produces a magic—a slower ball that Robinson misses, hitting straight onto his pads.
From there, India took two quick wickets to win a thriller of a Test. The final day was like a spin wheel swiveling between two words etched—‘draw’ and ‘win’—and finally, reaching its destination, carving out one of the biggest Test victories ever in the Indian history.
The Cricket Story 