Key takeaways after England and India share the spoils
In a five-Test series that swung wildly across conditions, emotions, and scorecards, England and India walked away with a 2-2 draw.
After 25 days of on-pitch action, India and England battled to a 2-2 draw in a most thrilling series.
It was a see-sawing ICC World Test Championship series that saw both teams battle through despite broken limbs with unbroken spirits. Below, we look at the key takeaways after a hard-fought draw.
India prove their mettle once again on foreign soil
Heading into the fifth Test with the series on the line, facing a formidable England side at home, and without the services of Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah, few would have predicted a fightback of this magnitude from a young Indian team.
It was an all-time classic. A dramatic six-run victory sealed by a final-hour surge from Mohammed Siraj, who took three of the last four wickets to script a stunning turnaround.
The win not only squared the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at 2-2 but also gave India's ICC World Test Championship campaign a significant boost, propelling them to third in the standings.
Looking back at Indian’s storied away wins, this triumph at The Oval now sits alongside legendary performances at Eden Gardens in 2001 and Gabba in 2021. What makes this special is the backdrop – a transitional side, up against the hosts, succeeding in challenging conditions and holding their nerve when England needed just 35 runs with four wickets in hand.
Shubman Gill steps up big time
With veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli calling time on their Test careers before the series, the leadership and the No.4 batons were passed on to Shubman Gill. And he embraced it.
His twin centuries, including a majestic 269 and 161 at Edgbaston, weren’t just match-winning knocks – they were statements that the 25-year-old was coming for more.
Gill batted like a man possessed and captained with calm clarity, proving wrong anybody who doubted his role in the team.
Gill finished the series with 754 runs from 10 outings, only behind the great Steve Smith as the player with the most runs in a single ICC World Test Championship series.
England’s batting: Dynamic but inconsistent
England’s approach under “Bazball” continued to shift between moments of brilliance and vulnerability. While Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett provided blistering starts, collapses weren't far away.
Joe Root found form, and Harry Brook was mercurial, and when it all clicked, England looked unbeatable and on top in every aspect, as proved by their chasing exploits in Leeds and mammoth 669-run total at Old Trafford.
But when the pressure mounted, there were lapses in shot selection and decision-making was questionable. The final Test was a classic case as England were in absolute control and cruising through to the win at 301/3 in their fourth-innings pursuit of 374, but fell short by six runs.
With an important Ashes series approaching later in the year, England may consider adjustments to their batting lineup as they aim for their first ICC World Test Championship title at the conclusion of the ongoing 2025-27 cycle.
India’s bowling finds new heroes
Jasprit Bumrah continued to be India’s spearhead with control and menace, but his workload management put him in a place to participate in only three of the five Tests.
It was Mohammed Siraj’s unreal resistance, playing in all five Tests, steaming in with 140 km/h deliveries even on the 25th day of play, that paved the way for India's comeback.
Siraj’s pace and aggression made a big impact, landing him the most wickets in the series with 23, while Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna troubled English batters in their few outings, with 13 and 14 wickets respectively.
India’s pace battery held its own in English conditions in style.
England’s spinners still a work in progress
In a summer where conditions surprisingly aided spin at times, England’s slow bowlers didn’t quite rise to the occasion.
Shoaib Bashir showed promise before his untimely injury in the third Test, but wasn’t the wicket-taking threat England needed.
Liam Dawson played a crucial role at Old Trafford, but lacked the bite that the team needed at times to aid the pacers.
England tried out Jacob Bethell in the final Test but his contributions were limited in both the batting as well as bowling departments.
With a big red-ball tour of Australia on the horizon, England’s think tank will likely have some reflection to do on the makeup of their spin attack.
India’s spin-bowling all-rounders shine through the grind
In a long, gruelling series where balance often shifted in a session, India’s spin-bowling all-rounders were the glue that held things together.
Ravindra Jadeja brought not just control with the ball but also priceless runs down the order, including five valuable fifties and a century that turned tricky situations into competitive totals.
Washington Sundar, returning to the Test setup, slotted in seamlessly, rescuing India when it mattered the most.
His composure under pressure, particularly in the Manchester and Oval Tests, proved a big lift in India’s pursuit of an all-rounder in the mould of the great Ravichandran Ashwin.
The pair often wrestled back momentum when the game looked to be slipping away, a feat no more evident than in the fourth Test when their unbeaten 203-run stand helped India fight to a thrilling draw.