India achieved an unforgettable series-leveling win at The Oval that will long be remembered. An intense Test that featured dramatic highs and lows will always be remembered fondly.
Shubman Gill led England with an unbeaten 269 run innings before they fell just short of setting a new run chase record. Now, three ODIs begin tomorrow.The India Cricket Team Vs England Cricket Team Match Scorecard from this iconic encounter reflects just how closely fought the contest was and sets the tone for the upcoming ODI series.
| Innings | Runs | Overs | Details (with Source) |
|---|---|---|---|
| England (1st Innings) | 171/9 | 20.0 | Batting first in Rajkot — England scored 171/9 (ESPN) |
| India (2nd Innings) | 145/9 | 20.0 | Chasing 172 — India finished 145/9 (ESPN) |
| Result | — | — | England won by 26 runs 🏆 (ESPN) |
| Player of the Match | — | — | Varun Chakravarthy (5/24) 🎖️ (ESPN) |
India vs. England
An exhilarating 2-2 draw for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy marked an exciting start to the new World Test Championship cycle and belied predictions made by pundits and former cricketers who predicted an easy win for England. There were some incredible performances during this contest with Gill, Rahul, Siraj all making contributions that will remain memorable memories.
Throughout this series, numerous firsts were set: England was docked points for slow over rates at Lord’s Test while India recorded their most dramatic win over England there; plus it marked the first time ever that a losing team scored five centuries during one test!
Shubman Gill led India admirably during his inaugural series as captain despite injuries and retirements limiting some experienced players, although his squad was inexperienced in playing on difficult pitches under pressure; only KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant had played tests under such conditions before while Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharshan Karun Nair Abhimanyu Easwaran Washington Sundar had previously experienced English conditions at this level of cricketing competition.
Indian pace attack was further depleted by injuries to Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh, with Jofra Archer and Mohammed Siraj taking their places respectively in their absence. India needed to rely heavily on these relatively inexperienced youngsters; yet they more than made up for any potential shortcomings by producing stunning performances that surpassed any expectation.
1st Test
England and India provided an enthralling contest, giving Test cricket in this country its inaugural performance of 2019. Both sides displayed incredible skill and determination throughout this five-day contest, from late-innings battles to impressive individual displays of heroism. It marked an unforgettable beginning.
Ben Stokes had hinted prior to this Test series that his side would sharpen their approach and become “smarter” in certain situations, which certainly appeared true during the opening Test match in Lord’s. With tactical discipline reminiscent of what former captain Michael Vaughan once termed as “Bazball with brains”, England displayed their potential.
Shubman Gill took over as captain for India during this series in England, yet his limited track record and lack of international experience cast doubts upon his ability to lead. KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja had both shown their prowess against English conditions while Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Siraj had experienced success against hosts over recent years.
On day four of their Test match at Headingley, England were in deep trouble in chasing 373 to win, but openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett staged an unlikely rescue act with an unbroken fourth-innings stand of 149 that kept England within striking distance of their target. Both batsmen batted with controlled aggression but it was Duckett who finally fell, after playing one big shot too many during his chase for his record fourth-innings score (149 off 126 balls; highest since 1931). Shardul Thakur then took his wicket which left England perilously at 241-6 at tea; England batsman Jofra Archer is likely to replace injured pacer Akash Deep for the remainder of this series.
2nd Test
India overturned their defeat at Headingley with an epic 336-run win at Edgbaston on Sunday. Spinner Washington Sundar’s early wicket of Stokes set the tone as he bowled England out for 271. Shubman Gill then scored 269 and 161 runs as part of his captaincy debut to help India claim an historic win at Edgbaston and level their five-match series at 1-1 as they head into Thursday’s third Test at Lord’s.
After an initial postponement due to rain and wet outfield conditions, play resumed at 10:30 AM with Siraj and Akash Deep making quick inroads with their new-ball pair – Siraj in particular made rapid inroads by peppering batsmen with his sharp edges and skiddiness – while Jos Buttler fell for an immediate six off the opening ball of the afternoon session before James Anderson was bowled by a delivery that jagged back off seam.
Akash Deep then took out Smith by trapping him LBW with an off-spinning delivery that squirted back off the pitch, before having Carse caught at leg-slip for 30 as he attempted a sweep shot. To cap it all off, in his final over of the morning session he hit back again by bowling an accurate full toss which left Carse struggling against both turn and pace with its full toss ball; making Deep only the second Indian bowler after Chetan Sharma (10/188 at Birmingham in 1986).
3rd Test
Gill and Jadeja performed heroically for India to help navigate their team out of an uncomfortable fourth Test situation at Old Trafford.
India began the third day battling an uphill battle as England’s bowlers struck early blows against them. Yet Ravindra Jadeja held firm and kept outwitting England’s attack by using an increasingly ineffective ball.
Jadeja finally reached his fifty off 150 balls by edging Stokes over the slips for four, joining KL Rahul in joining an exclusive club of batsmen who have scored centuries and taken 10 wickets simultaneously in Test cricket. However, Jofra Archer struck as he trapped Indian captain Virat Kohli lbw for 39 – an issue which was reviewed and confirmed to roars from the home crowd.
Rishabh Pant quickly fell for a single off Jofra and then Washington Sundar for an early duck as England’s fast bowlers took control. Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy held out against England with solid defense; later on Chris Woakes finally ended Reddy’s resistance by bowling to give his side an important lead.
Today was India’s lowest run-rate day in this series – 1.95 to be exact – as their run-rate stood at 1.95, their lowest of any day so far. Jasprit Bumrah set an amazing world record by becoming only bowler to have ever taken 12 wickets against Sri Lanka in one innings against them back in 1996 – 12 being done so very fast by only four Indian bowlers; previously Shubman Gill hit an unbeaten 113 to ensure India avoided follow-on in an incredible contest before captaincy debutant captaincy debutant Shubman Gill struck to ensure India avoided follow on in one such thrilling contest before ending it all by hitting outright victory and returning back into Indian hands for another Test match tomorrow against Sri Lanka!
4th Test
India and England ended their final day tied at 2-2 after two tense sessions. Though not expected before starting out in this series, this result will surely taste sweeter after memorable performances by Rahul Gill and Jadeja.
An outstanding match-saving effort from a team facing immense pressure after an underwhelming first Test performance. Perhaps selection decisions from a defensive mindset haven’t quite paid off in this series, yet they never gave up and kept fighting even when odds seemed to be against them.
KL Rahul’s wicket with Jofra Archer’s second new ball proved decisive as India were suddenly four down and 89 behind, facing an innings loss before their home crowd, who had spent all morning staring into an overcast sky.
Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar combined at number five and built an unbroken unbeaten stand of 203 runs to deny England their prize. Jadeja struck straight drives while Sundar used his trademark swashbuckling; both kept the game balanced until its conclusion.