What turned out to be an extremely competitive series between India and England, the first-ever Anderson-Tendulkar trophy witnessed its fair share of controversies and bad blood between players of both teams. While the first two Tests in Leeds and Birmingham played out without much said between India and England, tempers began to flare from the third Test at Lord’s. Around the end of Day 3, Shubman Gill lost his cool, and then some, when Zak Crawley deliberately tried to waste time and successfully ensured that not more than one over was completed. This led to a heated spat between Gill, Crawley, with Ben Duckett also joining the exchange. Mohammed Siraj mouthed a few words from a distance, too.
As it turned out, it was just a precursor to things that were to follow. The drama around Ben Stokes and the fact that his handshake was turned down in Manchester, to go with more words being exchanged between Siraj, Joe Root and Prasidh Krishna, added a layer of acrimony, if you will, to the entire series. Take nothing away from the gripping cricket that was put on display by India and England, but one couldn’t brush under the carpet that things could have played out a lot smoother.
Nonetheless, the good news is that all of it is now a thing of the past. After the series ended in a 2-2 draw, the England camp invited its Indian contemporaries for a customary post-series catch-up, where all the differences were put to rest. A report in The Indian Express claims there were no more grudges, heated exchanges, or animosity. Indian and English players bonded over England’s decade-old ritual, where they let bygones be bygones and, in fact, appreciated and acknowledged the effort put in by the opponent. It was the perfect end to a gruelling summer before the Indian team boarded the flight back home on Tuesday.
During the meeting, some heartwarming incidents overshadowed whatever little bitterness that may have crept in within both camps. The Indian players saluted Chris Woakes‘ lion-hearted effort, which saw him bat one-handed with his left arm in a sling, tucked inside a jumper. This evoked a similar response from the England team, with several players asking Rishabh Pant about his fractured toe and how it’s holding up. Who can forget the sight of Pant walking out to a thunderous applause from the Old Trafford crowd to save his team from the blushes, or the everlasting image of Woakes coming out as the last man in to try and help his team get over the line at The Oval. Among other things, the might of these warriors went a long way in player reconnecting.
Youngsters line up to pick Joe Root’s brain
The report also claims that several young Indian batters had lined up around the great Joe Root, who once again, enjoyed a memorable series. Root’s tally of 537 runs is the second best in the series, after Gill’s stunning 754 runs. The man is a lesson in batting masterclass, and as he continued to plunder records, becoming the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, next only to the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, Root took the time out to talk to young Indian batting talents about what keeps him going after all these years. It’s not every day that a batter surpasses Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting and Rahul Dravid in the same innings.
“He [Root] was asked how he has sustained top form for so long and many things about his batting,” a team official said.
The start of the afterparty, however, was Siraj. The Indian pacer was as much fun as he was a menace to the English batters. Siraj’s constant chirping, aggression, ‘fake’ anger – as Root puts it – became synonymous with the series, but at the same time drew accolades from the England camp, with Stokes, Root, Harry Brook and coach Brendon McCullum all hailing the fast bowler’s resilience. With more than 185 overs bowled in the series, Siraj kept pushing until the 25th day and emerged triumphant with a match-winning five-wicket haul in the second innings of the Oval Test.
That’s how you wrap up a memorable series, with memories to cherish until the next battle in this unforgettable rivalry.
