<p>The newly-coined Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy never had a dull moment with fortunes fluctuating back and forth, and the fifth Test here on Monday too witnessed intense drama before India held their composure brilliantly to score a famous six-run win over England.</p>.<p>The hero, and deservedly so, of the incredible victory that helped India share the spoils 2-2 with England, was the lion-hearted Mohammed Siraj. Inspired after downloading an image of his icon Cristiano Ronaldo with the word ‘Believe’ on the morning, the Hyderabadi dished out a spellbinding display to script a win for the ages for India in front of a sell-out crowd at The Oval.</p>.<p>With 35 runs to defend four wickets to be taken on the final morning, Siraj (5/104) bagged three in 4.1 scorching overs — Karnataka’s Prasidh Krishna (4/126) scalped the other one — to not just turn the famous South London venue into a cacophony of noise but an entire country that was glued in front of their televisions on a busy Monday evening, screaming in delight and ecstasy.</p>.'Learning' Gill passes the first big test .<p>In a way, the 2-2 result was a just reflection of how hard-fought the series had been between both sides, where no quarter was given and none was asked. At times it turned acrimonious but no one crossed the line, both teams showing great respect for each other after the battles were done and dusted.</p>.<p>India should have won the series opener at Headingley, but their failure to seize the vital moments saw England romp home in a record chase. India then hit back at Edgbaston before England held their composure in a slow-burning Lord’s cracker. </p>.<p>The template continued at Old Trafford, where England were in command for four days, but a heroic century from Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar helped India pull off an incredible draw, setting the stage for a riveting climax. And the finale lived up to all the hype, all five days filled with drama, before India held their nerve and found the verve to nick it at the end. The series proved why Test cricket is the ultimate challenge -- alive and kicking.</p>
<p>The newly-coined Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy never had a dull moment with fortunes fluctuating back and forth, and the fifth Test here on Monday too witnessed intense drama before India held their composure brilliantly to score a famous six-run win over England.</p>.<p>The hero, and deservedly so, of the incredible victory that helped India share the spoils 2-2 with England, was the lion-hearted Mohammed Siraj. Inspired after downloading an image of his icon Cristiano Ronaldo with the word ‘Believe’ on the morning, the Hyderabadi dished out a spellbinding display to script a win for the ages for India in front of a sell-out crowd at The Oval.</p>.<p>With 35 runs to defend four wickets to be taken on the final morning, Siraj (5/104) bagged three in 4.1 scorching overs — Karnataka’s Prasidh Krishna (4/126) scalped the other one — to not just turn the famous South London venue into a cacophony of noise but an entire country that was glued in front of their televisions on a busy Monday evening, screaming in delight and ecstasy.</p>.'Learning' Gill passes the first big test .<p>In a way, the 2-2 result was a just reflection of how hard-fought the series had been between both sides, where no quarter was given and none was asked. At times it turned acrimonious but no one crossed the line, both teams showing great respect for each other after the battles were done and dusted.</p>.<p>India should have won the series opener at Headingley, but their failure to seize the vital moments saw England romp home in a record chase. India then hit back at Edgbaston before England held their composure in a slow-burning Lord’s cracker. </p>.<p>The template continued at Old Trafford, where England were in command for four days, but a heroic century from Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar helped India pull off an incredible draw, setting the stage for a riveting climax. And the finale lived up to all the hype, all five days filled with drama, before India held their nerve and found the verve to nick it at the end. The series proved why Test cricket is the ultimate challenge -- alive and kicking.</p>
