India completed a last-morning miracle to win the fifth Test and tie its series with England 2-2, the six-run win coming after injured Poms all-rounder Chris Woakes came out to bat with one arm in a sling.
To begin the day England needed 35 runs to complete its second-highest run chase in Test history and clinch the series.
But having been 3-301 on day four, the final six wickets fell for 66 runs including four on the morning of day five, with Mohammed Siraj taking 5-104.
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Full toss peach wins India the Test | 00:33
India won having scored 224 and 396 across their two innings, as England scored 247 and 367.
Jamie Overton was fuming after an LBW review saw the ball would’ve barely hit the wickets, given as umpire’s call, before Josh Tongue was given out LBW but successfully reviewed a few balls later.
Tongue was then bowled forcing the injured Chris Woakes to come out and bat with one arm in a sling, due to a dislocated shoulder which is expected to cost him the Ashes.
Woakes nearly had to face a delivery but he and Gus Atkinson successfully ran a bye on the final ball of the over several times, with India missing an easy run-out attempt missing.
But Atkinson was eventually clean bowled by Siraj to complete the victory.
It was India’s narrowest ever win in Test cricket.
“It just shows that both teams came with their ‘A’ game and I am very happy to get over the line in this one,” India captain Shubman Gill told Sky Sports.“When you have got bowlers bowling a spell like Siraj, captaincy seems easy.”
Day five was enormous for England. Despite everything Ben Stokes’ men have achieved during the Bazball era, a Test series victory over India and Australia, their two biggest rivals, has eluded them.
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MATCH CENTRE: England vs India fifth Test scorecard
Fans roar as Woakes walks out in sling | 01:01
Toppling India would have given England a timely boost of confidence ahead of the upcoming Ashes tour, but the lingering Bazball sceptics would grow in volume if Brendon McCullum’s troops failed to win another marquee series.
The hosts have endured their fair share of poor luck, losing match-winning captain Stokes after Manchester, missing frontline spinner Shaoib Bashir since Lord’s, while speedster Mark Wood has been unavailable the entire series. Meanwhile, the toss has fallen in their favour on five occasions, the odds of which are 3.1 per cent.
Woakes decision “was never a question” | 04:01
Regardless, failure to defeat an undermanned Indian team — who are without retired superstars Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin — is a hammer blow for England’s Bazballers.
“England will either head off to the Ashes with their finest Bazball series win or wondering how they lost a Test that was within their grasp while Brook and Root batted on a different plane to everyone else,” The Telegraph’s Nick Hoult penned.
“Whatever happens, both sides have combined to produce one of the finest Test series in recent memory, pummelling each other for five Tests across six relentless weeks.”
Siraj’s redemption seals series draw | 02:53
The entire series has been packed with drama; Ben Duckett’s stylish chase at Headingley, Shubman Gill’s record-breaking marathon in Edgbaston, Jamie Smith’s Birmingham blitz, Ben Stokes’ Lord’s heroics, the Old Trafford handshake drama.
But there was one final twist.
NON-STOP DRAMA
The series started with England successfully chasing down a target of 371 to win at Headingley.
India won the second Test at Edgbaston by a huge margin of 336 runs before England bounced back to win at Lord’s, taking a 2-1 series lead.
England’s time-wasting tactics during the third Test were the first of several flashpoints in an increasingly fiery series.
In a drawn fourth Test at Old Trafford, memorable for an astonishing Indian rearguard action, England were angered by the tourists’ refusal to agree a draw at the first opportunity.
Both sides were hampered by fitness issues in the Oval decider, with England missing inspirational captain Ben Stokes because of a shoulder injury.
“I’m bitterly disappointed we couldn’t get over the line here, but I’m incredibly proud of my team and everything they’ve thrown into it,” said Stokes.
India were without Jasprit Bumrah after deciding to stick to their decision to only play the world’s top-ranked Test bowler in three games of the series.
But the lion-hearted Siraj, who featured in every match, seized his moment, ending the series as the leading bowler on either side with 23 wickets at 32.43.
“I’ve always had great respect and admiration for Mohammed Siraj as a competitor,” said Stokes after the bowler was named player of the match following an overall return of 9-190.
“He just keeps coming and coming and coming. You know he’s going to be in the fight with you.”
– with Nic Savage and AFL