Young Indian team shows plenty of character in a fascinating series

Not many had pinned hopes on India when the team landed in England for the five-match Test series a couple of months ago. With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma moving on from the format, the team certainly lacked experience. Under Shubman Gill, the onus was on the youngsters to step up.

For most of the players, it was their maiden, or second, tour of England, and there were apprehension about how they would adapt to the conditions, handle the pressure and deliver.

Of course, there were doubts about the bowling unit, too. As it was decided well in advance that Jasprit Bumrah would play just three games in the series, there were questions about whether Indian fast bowlers, sans Bumrah, had the ability to claim 20 wickets?

But as they say, cricket stops for no one. This England tour once again proved that.

A rather inexperienced team coming from behind to draw the inaugural edition of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-2 also proved that the future of Indian cricket is in safe hands.

Coming on the back of two consecutive Test series defeats — to New Zealand at home and at the hands of Australia away — the pressure was mounting on the team. But, Gill led from the front and went on to score 754 runs in 10 innings to give the Indian batting line-up the much-needed stability. He had initial troubles with the incoming ball, but the elegant player made a few adjustments to his batting and ended the tour with four centuries, including a double ton.

And, as Gill led by example, it came as a motivation to his teammates, too.

Yashasvi Jaiswal got off to a brilliant start. The left-hander set the tone before going through a lull. However, he came good in the crucial final Test with a century. K.L. Rahul looked solid at the top of the order, and then, there were Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar who ensured that the middle-order was taken care of. India managed to stay alive in the series, courtesy Washington and Jadeja’s battling hundreds at Old Trafford in the fourth Test.

As captain Gill said, it was a ‘team effort’.

In the absence of Bumrah, Siraj operated tirelessly. He bowled 185.3 overs in the series — 1,113 deliveries to be specific — and finished as the top wicket-taker with 23 scalps. He inspired his new-ball partners — Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna — and tested the England batters throughout.

Siraj bowled his heart out and wore his heart on his sleeve. It was a similar story with Rishabh Pant too as he braved a broken foot to take his side to a fighting total in the first innings of the Old Trafford Test. Those moments defined the team.

Of course, there were some bizarre decisions. Benching a wrist-spinner of Kuldeep Yadav’s calibre wasn’t ideal. One also got to feel for Abhimanyu Easwaran and Arshdeep Singh.

But, in the end, as India tied a Test series in the Old Blighty for the second successive time, all that took a back seat.