In a magical finish, Team India won the recent fifth Test of an enthralling series, snatching victory from the very jaws of defeat just one match after having clung on to a draw to give themselves a chance to level the series in the decider. The Test victory at The Oval — by a mere six runs — was one for the ages and it helped India share the honours at 2-2. The five-match series also underscored the fact that Shubman Gill’s era as the Indian Test captain has begun. For pace bowler Mohammed Siraj, the match was a story of villain to hero. From dropping Harry Brook's catch, he went on to win the match for India. Besides, Siraj, India found several heroes during the gruelling tour, like Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Rishabh Pant, Prasidh Krishna and ever dependable allrounder Ravindra Jadeja. The five-match contest, headlined by glorious highs and acrimonious lows, showed that it’s too early to write-off Test cricket in the age of slam-bang, money-spinning T20 format. The longest and most challenging format of the game is alive and kicking.
