06/08/2025

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | AUG 6, 2025

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India hails ‘supermen’ after dramatic win INDIA yesterday lauded its cricketers for snatching victory in the fifth Test against England to end the series level at 2-2 after 25 days of gripping action. “Absolute goosebumps,“ Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar wrote on social media. “Series 2 2, Performance 10/10! Supermen from India! What a Win.”

TALKING POINTS

England vs India INDIA will return home satisfied after levelling their five-Test series against England following a dramatic six-run win at the Oval as the home side rue a costly late collapse. India arguably won more sessions than they lost over the five Tests, though England were clinical in key moments before failing to press home their advantage in the final match. Here are three talking points from an enthralling series. Siraj steps up Mohammed Siraj ultimately proved the difference-maker for India, taking three wickets for nine runs in a match winning spell on the final morning at the Oval. The paceman was named player of the match for his figures of nine wickets for 190 runs. Over the course of the series, in which he played every game, Siraj bowled an energy-sapping 185.3 overs, finishing as the leading wicket taker on either side, with 23 scalps. “From the first day until the fifth game, fifth day, we have fought an unbelievable fight,” said Siraj. “God must have written something good for me, that’s why I won this match and took the last wicket. “When I woke up today, I thought I could do it. I downloaded a picture from Google saying ‘believe’.” Shubman shines Shubman Gill has just embarked on one of the toughest jobs in world sport – leading a team that carries with it the hopes and dreams of 1.4 billion people. He has been mesmerising with the bat in England, falling just short of overhauling Sunil Gavaskar’s long standing Indian record tally of 774 runs in a series. India’s player-of-the-series has also grown into his role as skipper and oversaw a victory in the final Test when all had seemed lost. The 25-year-old, who replaced Rohit Sharma as captain in May, arrived in England with a modest Test average of 35. But he has led from the front to make 754 runs, including four centuries, finishing just 20 runs behind Gavaskar’s mark, set against the West Indies in 1971. Shubman’s batting in England will live long in the memory and his reign as captain is off to a solid start. Stokes still the magic man Ben Stokes sat out the fifth Test victory with a shoulder injury but has again demonstrated emphatically the value of a genuine all-rounder in the modern game. The England skipper, 34, consistently looked the most dangerous of the home side’s bowlers. He also played a crucial role with the bat, scoring 141 in England’s mammoth total of 669 in the drawn fourth Test at Old Trafford. England’s bowling at times lacked penetration during the series but Stokes still possesses the rare ability to change a game in the blink of an eye. The skipper has battled a succession of injuries but England will be desperate to have him on the plane to Australia for the Ashes, which start in November. AFP

the match a “historic thriller”. India, led by 25-year-old captain Shubman Gill – a team in transition after the retirement of veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – fought hard as every Test went into day five. Virat called it a “phenomenal victory”, praising the “resilience and determination” from Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. “Special mention to Siraj who will put everything on the line for the team,“ he said. “Extremely happy for him.” – AFP

Siraj bowled Gus Atkinson for 17 to bowl out England and trigger Indian celebrations. “One of the greatest moments in Indian cricket history,“ veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle wrote on X , adding that with it “Siraj enters Indian cricket folklore”. Player of the match Siraj had his arms outstretched when he rattled Atkinson’s off stump with a yorker that made Indian fans erupt with joy. “Heart-stopping,“ the Times of India newspaper said. “Fairytale end,“ broadcaster NDTV said, calling

Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj claimed five wickets, including a fiery burst of 3-9 on the final day of a thrilling Test as England fell seven runs short of their victory target of 374 at the Oval.

Siraj stars for India Tourist beat England by six runs in fifth-Test thriller to draw series

M OHAMMED SIRAJ was the hero as India beat England by just six runs in a thrilling fifth Test at the Oval on Monday to end a dramatic series level at 2-2. England arrived on the final day of the series needing just 35 runs with four wickets in hand to complete what would have been a remarkable chase of 374. But they were blown away on a morning of unbearable tension, with Siraj taking three

England were angered by the tourists’ refusal to agree a draw at the first opportunity. Both sides were hampered by fitness issues in the Oval decider, with England missing inspirational captain Ben Stokes because of a shoulder injury. “I’m bitterly disappointed we couldn’t get over the line here, but I’m incredibly proud of my team and everything they’ve thrown into it,” said Stokes. India were without Jasprit Bumrah after deciding to stick to their decision to only play the world’s top ranked Test bowler in three games of the series. But the lion-hearted Siraj, who featured in every match, seized his moment, ending the series as the leading bowler on either side with 23 wickets at 32.43. “I’ve always had great respect and admiration for Mohammed Siraj as a competitor,” said Stokes after the bowler was named player of the match following an overall return of 9-190. “He just keeps coming and coming and coming. You know he’s going to be in the fight with you.” – AFP

bowled Atkinson (17) to spark delirious scenes among the India team and their supporters. The series started with England successfully chasing down a target of 371 to win at Headingley. India won the second Test at Edgbaston by a huge margin of 336 runs before England bounced back to win at Lord’s, taking a 2-1 series lead. England’s time-wasting tactics during the third Test were the first of several flashpoints in an increasingly fiery series. In a drawn fourth Test at Old Trafford, memorable for an astonishing Indian rearguard action,

Jamie Overton hit the first two balls of the day off Prasidh Krishna for four to immediately ease the pressure but the home side were soon reduced to 354-8 after Siraj struck twice to remove Jamie Smith and Overton. Josh Tongue was next to go and when injured last man Chris Woakes came in to bat with his left arm strapped up due to an injured shoulder, England still needed 17 more runs for victory. Gus Atkinson hit a six off Siraj before England got the target down to single figures. But the paceman clean

wickets for nine runs to finish with innings figures of 5-104. The dramatic ending, India’s narrowest Test win in terms of runs,

was a fitting finale to an enthralling series that started on June 20.

“It just shows that both teams came with their ‘A’ game and I am very happy to get over the line in this one,” India captain Shubman Gill told Sky Sports . “When you have got bowlers bowling a spell like Siraj, captaincy seems easy.” The series was also a personal triumph for Shubman, who scored 754 runs, including four hundreds. England, cruising to victory on Sunday when they were 301-3, remained favourites to win when play started under gloomy skies on Monday.

India’s Mohammed Siraj (right) celebrates taking the wicket of England’s Gus Atkinson (unseen) and winning final Test cricket match at The Oval yesterday. – AFPPIC

Frustrated Stokes refuses to blame Brook

BEN STOKES said he was frustrated by England’s failure to secure a Test series win against India but refused to blame Harry Brook for his dismissal, which sparked a dramatic collapse. England, chasing a daunting 374 runs to win, had been cruising at 301-3 on Sunday, with Brook and Joe Root at the crease. But they buckled under pressure and lost their last seven wickets for 66 runs. “It’s been toe-to-toe pretty much for 25 days,“ said England captain Stokes, who missed the Oval game with a shoulder injury. “You know, two teams, two very good teams who have thrown everything at each other, left nothing out there. “From a cricket fan’s point of view 2-2 is probably fair. Obviously, we’re disappointed now to

“I’m sure everyone was applauding him when he brought up his hundred in the way that he did. Some of the shots he played were unbelievable.” The skipper admitted six dropped catches in India’s second innings had ultimately proved costly. “But you can go over so many moments in a five-day Test match and all the time you spend out in the field and say, ‘If this had been slightly different, we could have been in a slightly different situation’,“ he said. “No one means to drop catches, obviously. But I think if we look back on that, you could say that those chances that we did put down did cost us. “Back to Headingley (first Test), when we chased down those runs, India dropped quite a few chances off us, and that probably contributed to us winning.” – AFP

have not got the result that we wanted to give us a series win.” England appeared home and dry on Sunday with Brook (111) and Root (105) at the crease. But their late stumble started when Brook, who had changed the tone of the match with his aggressive batting, chipped a bizarre catch to mid off as he launched his bat in the opposite direction. Stokes defended the 26-year-old Brook, who scored 481 runs in the series, including two centuries. His ton on Sunday came off just 91 balls with 12 fours and two sixes. “Harry got us into that position by playing a particular way, putting the Indian bowlers under immense pressure to take them away from being able to consistently bowl in the areas that they wanted to bowl,“ said Stokes.