Nasser Hussain, former England captain, has dubbed the encapsulating five days of the third Test between England and India as the best Test cricket he has seen in some time.
India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, as well as tailenders Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, battled valiantly but fell just short on the last day. Siraj's words fled him as he dropped to his knees, head concealed, unable to comprehend how Shoaib Bashir had bowled him clean.
England players erupted in jubilation, sprinting towards Bashir and lifting him to celebrate a memorable 22-run victory as India failed to meet a 193-run target. Over the course of five days, passions erupted and tempers strained, creating a memorable test.
"That was a great advert for five-day Test cricket. It was hard-fought, at times feisty, but in the end played within the spirit of the game. You saw at the end there the England players going up to the two Indian players in the middle. A bit like 2005 when Andrew Flintoff went up to Brett Lee at the non-striker's end at Edgbaston," Hussain said on Sky Sports.
After an astonishing collapse before lunch, Jadeja fought hard with his bat and Bumrah fought with determination to give India a ray of hope. The vision faded when Bumrah succumbed to the temptation and ballooned the ball to substitute fielder Sam Cook.
However, Siraj's tenacity and Jadeja's persistence revived the aspirations before confronting reality. Jadeja returned unbeaten, scoring 61 from 181 deliveries.
"Jadeja and the India tailenders showed so much character and so much fight, they did not deserve to be on the losing side. That was the best five days of Test cricket I have seen in some time," Hussain added.
Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik praised Jadeja’s "brilliant" attempt to keep the Test going despite running out of partners on the other end. Karthik believes that Siraj and Bumrah's mentality is something that other Indian cricketers can learn from.
"I really enjoyed Ravindra Jadeja at the end. He was running out of partners but still had the mental resilience to keep going over and over, not making an error. He has batted brilliantly. The attitude of Bumrah and Siraj is one to learn for all of Indian cricket, really. They did not want to give up; they wanted to make a match out of it. They just kept pushing, prodding, and doing everything to stay in the game," Karthik said.
With England leading the series 2-1, both teams will head to Manchester for the fourth Test as India will look to restore parity in the enticing five-match series.
(ANI inputs)
