London, Aug 4 (IANS) After India secured a series-levelling six-run win over England in the fifth Test at The Oval, former fast bowler Varun Aaron said the Shubman Gill-led side has put all doubts to rest by showcasing their true capabilities, despite being in a transition period.
On the fifth day of the match at The Oval on Monday, England were bowled out for 367 in a chase of 375, with fast bowler Mohammed Siraj taking 5-104. The six-run win is also India’s narrowest winning margin in their history of playing Test cricket.
“Extraordinary achievement, especially when the team is going through a transition phase. Who thought that the Indian team, going through a transition phase, would come out and perform like this? A very, very special victory to witness.”
“Siraj bowled like a dream. Unbelievable. Everything is on the line with the 80-over old Dukes ball. So much heart, so much dedication for this win. It shouldn’t go unnoticed. Such an important Test victory for the Indian cricket team, especially because this was the first one under Shubman Gill.”
“There were so many doubts with Virat not being there, Rohit not being there, and Bumrah playing just three Tests. I think they have put everything, more than everything, all the doubts to rest. And this is what this Indian team is made of. They are an absolute gun team,” said Aaron on JioHotstar.
Siraj, the lone fast bowler from both sides to play all five matches, ended the series as the leading wicket-taker with 23 wickets at an average of 32.43. Sanjay Bangar, former India cricketer and batting coach, spoke about Siraj’s match-winning effort, which will go down in the folklore of incredible Test victories.
“It’s all heart, it’s all passion, it’s all skill. And all of that coming together with that commitment to put his body on the line for the team, no matter what. Siraj is always a guy who’s going to put his hand up and do the difficult yards.”
“He doesn’t always get the new ball but is happy to bowl with the older ball and happy to bowl long spells, whether it’s the first or the last session, or whether the team is in deficit or looking to bowl a team out. I think you put any situation in front of him, and he puts his hand up and just wants the ball in his hand.”
“And the way he runs with that sort of energy and that sort of wicket-taking mindset- you are certainly fortunate to have a bowler of that class, ability and mindset, which can not only deliver individual performances but also unite the team and forge them to do special things,” he added.
With India levelling the series at 2-2, Bangar felt winning at The Oval would give this young Indian team a big boost in terms of dealing with challenging situations.
“What this series is going to do is give great belief to the guys who are part of this unit. Siraj, for that matter, or KL Rahul or Yashasvi Jaiswal or Washington Sundar or Ravindra Jadeja, all of them at some point in the series, knew that they had to stretch their resources mentally and physically.”
“But now, having understood what they can achieve once pushed to the wall and still choosing to stand back or rise after every fall, I think this is a quality that has been the defining factor of all the members who participated in this series.”
“And going forward, I believe that this is going to stand them in good stead when they play more challenging situations, more challenging matches in the future,” he concluded.
–IANS
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