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Irresistible meets Immovable: England vs India Series Wrap-Up
The conclusion of the Test series between England and India has yielded a thrilling exchange of emotions for both teams and their supporters. Hosts Benny and Mayank provide their immediate reactions, encapsulating the exhilaration and disbelief that accompanied India's remarkable fightback to secure a draw in the series. The episode delves into the pivotal moments of the final Test, highlighting the exceptional performances of players such as Mohammed Siraj and Shubman Gill, while also reflecting on the broader implications for the Indian team under new captain Shubman Gill. Through a detailed analysis of key players and their contributions, the hosts engage in an insightful discussion regarding the future trajectory of Indian cricket amidst the backdrop of this compelling series. Listeners are invited to reflect on the memorable encounters and the evolving dynamics of the teams as they navigate through this intense competition.
Transcript
Hello and welcome to the Last Wicket.
Speaker A:I'm your host, Benny.
Speaker A:Thank you for joining us folks.
Speaker A:It is about 14 or close to 15 hours since Mohammed Siraj, old Gus Atkinson, first session, last day, last test of the England vs India Test series.
Speaker A:And I'm still buzzing and you know, I'll give everyone a heads up.
Speaker A:This episode, you know, being it being an immediate reaction, you know, to the Opal Test as well as the series itself, it is gonna have like a heavy Indian slant because with me is my co host, Mike.
Speaker A:Both of us are Indian cricket fans.
Speaker A:We will try to have like an objective take on everything that's happened.
Speaker A:But at least from my end it's probably going to be more India heavy.
Speaker A:But let's, let's talk about it.
Speaker A:It's been a momentous day.
Speaker A:It's been an eventful month, month and a half.
Speaker A:It's been a fascinating Test series.
Speaker A:We've talked so much about it with special guests and it's finally over and there's just so much to talk about and we probably are not going to get to everything.
Speaker A:But first of all, let me formally welcome Mike to this conversation.
Speaker A:So Mike, how are you feeling right now?
Speaker B:I think buzzing is the perfect word.
Speaker B:Yeah, I don't think I, I had believe.
Speaker B:I did not believe, let's be honest, I had no belief that we're gonna get four wickets with for 30 odd runs.
Speaker B:Their tail bats better than ours.
Speaker B:So I thought, yeah, we're, they're gonna definitely have, you know, the odd boundary, something going through slip and they're going to manage these runs.
Speaker B:Also, Chris Wils saying that he could bat.
Speaker B:I did not anticipate him walking in with the sling inside his sweater.
Speaker B:That is, I thought it would be like he would be in a decent condition to at least hold a bat.
Speaker B:But so in my mind I was like, yep, that's, it's not happening.
Speaker B:And of course I still woke up because that's the relationship we have with cricket.
Speaker B:We turn up even when we know it's not going to happen.
Speaker B:So I woke up 5am my time and I was like, okay, maybe it's probably going to be 30 minutes and then once they get close, I'm going to fall back asleep.
Speaker B:But wow, I don't think I've been able to.
Speaker B:I was not able to fall back asleep.
Speaker B:I was not able to even work properly today.
Speaker B:What a day and what a game.
Speaker A:You know, I'll take you through a very quick journey into the last 30 hours or so for me because, you know, day four when Harry Brooke and Joe Root were batting.
Speaker A:This is like very early into their partnership, you know, India probably sensed an opening.
Speaker A:They're pulling well.
Speaker A:And then of course, Brooke tries to hit the six.
Speaker A:And you see, sir, I'd settle under it.
Speaker A:And here I'm, I'm, as a fan, as an Indian fan, fan, I'm like, this is going great.
Speaker A:This is all in that second, like that half, half a second where the ball is like, settling in and he catches it.
Speaker A:It's, it's so fascinating.
Speaker A:The j.
Speaker A:You know, sports fans in general, like, we have to put up with so much the, the joy, the frustration, the disappointment, the heartbreak.
Speaker A:I mean, it's hard, tough for the players, but, you know, especially for us because it, it.
Speaker A:I remember him catching the ball and for a split second I'm like, we're winning this.
Speaker A:And then the next, you know, he is, he has stepped on the bounty robes.
Speaker A:And I could feel the disappointment of that Indian cricket fan behind him.
Speaker A:I was like, this is it.
Speaker A:This is, this is how India loses the series.
Speaker A:And so once, you know, Brooke and Ruth went on to make, you know, the centuries, I had mentally, you know, honestly checked out.
Speaker A:But I told myself, you know what, it's fine.
Speaker A:I don't think England winning the series 31 is a fair indication of how the series has turned out.
Speaker A:But India's, you know, relatively inexperienced, they have a new captain, they made lots of mistakes, and hopefully they will learn from it.
Speaker A:This is all the stuff that I'm telling myself, right?
Speaker A:And then of course, I check in much later, towards the end of the day's play, and I'm like, okay, they fought well.
Speaker A:Good, good on them to kind of get this close.
Speaker A:And then the next morning, I have to catch a flight at 6:30 in the morning.
Speaker A:So I get to the airport and I'm like, the game should have been over by now.
Speaker A:So I check my phone, I see that Jamie Smith is out.
Speaker A:And for the following, I don't know, was it 30 minutes, 40 minutes?
Speaker A:I, like, I'm sitting at the airport, my, My flight is boarding, and I'm just so distracted.
Speaker A:I'm not watching the game live because I'm just like checking, you know, the live score.
Speaker A:Just like refreshing just to see.
Speaker A:Okay, come on, come on.
Speaker A:And then every time a wicked fell, I was like, I can't believe this is gonna happen.
Speaker A:And then I see this notification that does.
Speaker A:Atkinson scored a six.
Speaker A:I read the description about Akashlip and I was like, again, you know, just like yesterday.
Speaker A:And then just as I was like refreshing.
Speaker A:And then that last wicket, you know, like popped up and I, I literally, that was this moment I boarded my plane, switched on to airplane mode and then I had the most peaceful nap, morning nap that I could.
Speaker A:So that was the way I kind of like followed the conclusion of this game.
Speaker A:And it reminded me of another one that I was so invested.
Speaker A: that run chase at the GABA in: Speaker A:That was the last time I felt so invested in something.
Speaker A:And that thinks a lot since India has, you know, they won a T20 World cup in between.
Speaker A:They done some good stuff, but there's nothing quite satisfying like winning a tough test match.
Speaker A:Do you, do you feel that way?
Speaker B:Oh, there's, there's absolutely no doubt about it.
Speaker B:I think the whole, I, I think just the fact that you go over so many different emotions over five days is, is why like a test match just cannot be compared as a fan or, or I'm sure as a player as well.
Speaker B:You know, there are phases where India were doing, you know, day one probably wasn't their, their day but they, they came back really well on day two, kept themselves in the hunt and so there were phases where each team were, were comfortably on top.
Speaker B:And then day four of course belonged to broken route.
Speaker B:And at that point I think it was more of hey we, I think it's, it's over.
Speaker B:Like they've chased 370 twice once in the beginning of the series, it's gonna happen again.
Speaker B:Just it's the fact that we both, we have only three pacers is going to hurt us and you know, Akash Deep was bowling with a niggle.
Speaker B:So we really were down to two pacers who could bowl lengthy spells.
Speaker B:So I had sort of accepted it.
Speaker B:But I think the, the other example that you gave is still very relevant which is the T20 World cup win because the final was very similar.
Speaker B:South Africa after that, that 10 to 15 over a period where they were, Claassen was going crazy and they needed 30 of 30.
Speaker B:I was watching with a big group.
Speaker B:We had 25 odd people at a friend's place and yeah, the party had died down.
Speaker B:It was a majority Indian and Nepali party and everybody was supporting India of course and the party had died down.
Speaker B:We did not believe at all and we were just watching for the sake of it.
Speaker B:But yeah, that was an unbelievable comeback and this is probably just as great.
Speaker B:The fact that we've brought it back from, you know, 303 for 3 or 330 for 4 to beat them by six runs.
Speaker B:It's just.
Speaker B:Just unimaginable.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And since this is like an immediate, you know, this episode, the whole idea is capture our immediate reaction.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So we're not talking about nuanced discussion or nuanced analysis.
Speaker A:And the reason I say this, it's important because in probably about a week or two, once emotions have died down and we're able to be more objective in assessing how this series turned out for India.
Speaker A:You know, we're going to look at a lot of the, you know, the ways that India actually let go of many opportunities to actually win the series.
Speaker A:You know, you could argue that they could have won the first and the first and the third test.
Speaker A:Yeah, first and third test.
Speaker A:So this could have been 3:1.
Speaker A:Of course, now England can also say the same, which is the beauty of this test series, honestly.
Speaker A:So that.
Speaker A:So, so since we're talking about immediate reaction, so let's get our thoughts on.
Speaker A:Now that the series is over to, to all, what is your take on Shipman Gill's captaincy this series?
Speaker A:Obviously his first assignment, pretty tough one straight out of the bat without the experience of Rohit, Kohli, Ashwin and against a fired up English team led by the charismatic Ben Stokes, who have got problems of their own or issues of their own, I should say, but still a tough assignment for Gil.
Speaker A:What is your take on how he did in those five tests?
Speaker B:I mean, I think he's done really well.
Speaker B:One aspect of it is these were also very unforgiving pitches.
Speaker B:So the fact that he had to really just play around with the bowlers and make sure he's not, you know, literally running them to the ground was important.
Speaker B:But even if you look from a fielding perspective, I love the fields that were set for Duckett.
Speaker B:Even Bethel Crawley in the fifth Test, for example, second innings even.
Speaker B:Let's just take the second innings for into, you know, let's focus on that.
Speaker B:They started with a deep point for Crawley right away and they said, yep, we will let you drive.
Speaker B:We know that's your shot.
Speaker B:With your tall height, you can get to the each other ball but we won't let you leak runs.
Speaker B:Same thing with Duckett.
Speaker B:They had a really weird square leg at 40 yards just outside what would be a 30 yard circle in one day cricket and that helped stop the boundaries and that's why somebody as attacking as Duckett scored 50 but of 80 oddballs.
Speaker B:So I think those were really small things like a lot of people will not remember that but the reason it matters is and again they didn't need the second new ball because they didn't they, they thought the old one was doing a lot so they didn't ask for it but they got to the 80 over mark and so let's say you know, the old ball had stopped doing something.
Speaker B:They could have gone today forward the new ball and had one more crack despite Harry Brooks really quick fire innings and that was only possible because they made sure the runs did not flow too much apart from that second session on day four.
Speaker B:So I think he's grown a lot as a captain.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think there's only positives to say about that and, and I think one good thing about it about this is also sometimes when you have a really brand new captain there's a sense of it's okay to ask questions and I think that's where I saw him talk to like KL Rahul all the time if he had to go out and go talk to Gambir in the dressing room or just needed a rest for a couple K Rahulwood captain and when Rishabh Pant was not on the field.
Speaker B:So there's a bunch of two, three people who are, you know, very comfortable with each other and they're obviously talking to the bowlers Bumrah when he's around and yeah it was really positive.
Speaker B:I think it's his captaincy improved a ton over the series and it's early days.
Speaker B:I'm sure he's gonna get better and better.
Speaker A:Yeah, I agree.
Speaker A:I definitely think he had quite a curve, you know, that learning curve over the course of this five tests.
Speaker A:And the one thing that really helped him I feel was his own batting.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:I think it would have been even harder for him to really assert himself, to assert his leadership if he was just getting out for like five or like 20 and 30, all this stuff.
Speaker A:But the fact that he started the series so strong, I think that straightaway gave him a lot of like street cred among his team.
Speaker A:Like okay, he's going to be a performing captain, not just you know, a captain on the field.
Speaker A:And even in terms of the way he carried himself, you could see a more confident and more self assured version by the time the oval test ended.
Speaker A:Now obviously he's, he's got a long way to go.
Speaker A:He's going to have you know, more tough days, you know, in future series.
Speaker A:Some high moments will be there for sure but I think he seems to be the kind of cricketer who will only continue to improve and get better.
Speaker A:And it also helps that he's like, you know, he's led the draw Titans for two years now, I think.
Speaker A:So he has, he's slowly, you know, building up his captaincy tenure or captaincy skills, I should say, in both domestic and international level.
Speaker A:So I'm really excited.
Speaker A:I think the ceiling is really high for him, you know, just leaving his batting aside as a captain, I'm really excited to see where he is.
Speaker A:But it's also important to note that for a young captain like him, he needs the right people around him in terms of, you know, the team management.
Speaker A:And Beer is someone who loves to be in the news one way or the other.
Speaker A:We've talked about this when he was appointed to coach, that it's either going to be amazing or it's going to be disastrous.
Speaker A:And I think he's managed to do both.
Speaker A:The home test series launch, New Zealand probably the lowest of the lows.
Speaker A:And this drawn series in England will probably be one of the highest.
Speaker A:You know, when we're talking about tests, what is your take on Gambir, the coach and how it has been working out for Team India and if he really is the right person to kind of work with Gil going forward.
Speaker B:It's obviously hard to, you know, be really objective about this because, yeah, we obviously don't know what going.
Speaker B:What is going on inside.
Speaker B:But I do agree there's been some disastrous decisions.
Speaker B:I think, for example, Prasad Krishna had shown a lot of improvement from day one of the series to the third Test and then suddenly he was dropped and Anshul Kambolj was brought in from the reserves.
Speaker B:He was not even.
Speaker B:He was, you know, put on a flight and brought in.
Speaker B:That's gotta hurt a little bit.
Speaker B:I mean, I understand Prasad had gone for runs, but he has been in and around the team for a good 18 months or so.
Speaker B:He played in South Africa as well, so that random drop would definitely be hurting him.
Speaker B:And he obviously had a really good oval Test.
Speaker B:I mean, I know his economy will still be discussed and people will talk about how he's.
Speaker B:He's still leaking runs, but he's been bowling really good attacking lines and that's why he's getting five wickets a test, which is remarkable for such a new bowler.
Speaker B:So I, I think there were really some blunders.
Speaker B:That's just one example.
Speaker B:The fact that Kuldeep did not get a game is, is definitely another big one.
Speaker B:I don't that anybody needs to, needs to Explain.
Speaker B:Everybody and anyone and everyone would agree that there were at least a couple of opportunities, probably not in the fifth Test, but at least in the fourth or the third test there were opportunities to bring in Kuldeep Yadav.
Speaker B:So, yeah, I don't think there were a ton of.
Speaker B:I don't really don't have too much positive to speak about Gambir as of yet.
Speaker B:I know the results have fallen in our direct, in our way today, but that is only because like Siraj and Krishna have stolen a victory from, from the jaws of defeat.
Speaker B:Otherwise this was 3:1 and deserving 3:1 at that.
Speaker B:Because, you know, if you look at the fourth Test itself, England went with four pacers, looked at the pitch and said, we don't need that, we don't need a spinner.
Speaker B:And India went with two spinning all rounders and three pacers.
Speaker B:So again, the whole aspect of, you know, dropping Shardul, which made total sense, he was not bowling as well, not contributing too much with the bat.
Speaker B:But picking Karun Nair instead of Shardo was pretty shocking to me.
Speaker B:I think after the centuries that Jadeja and Sundar made at Manchester, you should have just trusted them to be 6 and 7 for this final test and picked that extra pacer.
Speaker B:Somebody like Arshdeep would have been so handy in these conditions.
Speaker A:Yeah, with, with Gumby, I just don't like the fact that he's in the news a lot.
Speaker A:Like, you know, he just pops up.
Speaker A:I mean, the whole thing with the groundsman, I think that was so unnecessary.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:I felt like that could have been handled a lot better than the way he did.
Speaker A:He always just seems like to be itching for a fight.
Speaker A:I feel like that could have been diffused a lot better.
Speaker A:Anyway, the, the thing about coaches is, yeah, you know, it's very hard to assess them or judge their performance or contribution to the team because we are watching it from the outside and unless players talk about it, you know, we don't really know what goes behind the scenes.
Speaker A:But the biggest thing that we can see from the outside is selection.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And you already mentioned quite a few.
Speaker A:Udi not featuring in any of the tests, you know, in this series is, you know, it reminds me of this whole Ashwin overseas thing.
Speaker A:It's like, how do you fit him in?
Speaker A:Or, you know, it's about the conditions, about the balance.
Speaker A:But Kuldeep too, I think he's just a victim of this balance thing.
Speaker A:Like, you know, you can bring him in as, you know, a bowler who's probably, arguably probably the Best bowler after Bumra that you could have.
Speaker A:But he doesn't really bring much more with the bat and that's where someone like Jadi Jensen, they're always going to be, you know, higher up in that list of people making it to the 11.
Speaker A:So more than anything else, it's a selection inconsistency.
Speaker A:There were just too many chopping and there was no steady run given, you know, current.
Speaker A:I played a couple, dropped and comes back.
Speaker A:Same thing with side selection.
Speaker B:And it's not just on Karnair and Sai.
Speaker B:Sorry to cut you off, but yeah, they patted Karuna, started at at 3, then moved to 5.
Speaker B:So there's.
Speaker B:Even when you're giving them another opportunity, you're just shuffling them too much.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:And I think that's where that cannot be good for a batsman who's trying to make, you know, find a spot and earn his credentials at the test level for the first time.
Speaker B:Somebody like Sai in particular, I mean it's, it's probably not easy for Karun either, but at least he's played a few test before.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's just the inconsistency that really frustrates.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:Yeah, go ahead.
Speaker A:Yeah, no, I, I just think he's.
Speaker A:His, his job has probably been saved by Sirach because I think if India had lost a series, I, I wonder if, you know, the board, the BCCI would have considered maybe we should have like two coaches, one for test, one for limited overs.
Speaker A:But I think he's got some extra time now because of, you know, India's exploits in blaster tests.
Speaker A:But I'm sure we'll get a lot more stuff to talk about Gambira because he's the kind of person who can be, you know, sitting quietly on the sidelines.
Speaker A:He's always going to be the news somehow.
Speaker A:But let's talk about the players.
Speaker A:Obviously some standout performers for India.
Speaker A:Who are the perform, who are the players that impress you the most?
Speaker A:And anybody who's kind of, you know, been a disappointment or just like surprisingly did not perform the way that you expected them to.
Speaker B:I, I think going into the series I was talking to my friends and there were a couple who said Shubman Gill is lucky to be captain.
Speaker B:He's not scored any runs and all of that.
Speaker B:And I was defending Gill, saying he's played in really tough conditions, has control, stats are amazing.
Speaker B:I think it's only a matter of time when he gets in a big series.
Speaker B:But even I had not imagined a 700 and something run series.
Speaker B:This is, this Is a spectacular series.
Speaker B:Like the conditions again have been flat in I would say maybe four out of the five tests, maybe three and a half tests.
Speaker B:At least the conditions were very batting friendly.
Speaker B:2nd highest aggregate in a test series ever.
Speaker B:So overall the both teams scored a lot.
Speaker B:But even then to score this many runs, just the appetite of to score 430 runs in one Test, that was just staggering.
Speaker B:So Shubman Gill definitely, you know, 10 on 10 as a batter he just, even in innings where he didn't score big, like the first innings of the fifth test, he looked a million dollars like he was hitting the ball so brilliantly.
Speaker B:Unfortunate run out of course.
Speaker B:But um, yeah, he was 10 on 10 in terms of like I had expected a good series for him, 4, 500 runs maybe what, what a turnout like that was.
Speaker B:That was amazing.
Speaker B:The other one that was really, really great to see was of course KL Rahul.
Speaker B:He's been, you know, he's solid.
Speaker B:Nine of his ten hundreds are abroad.
Speaker B:Like I don't think anybody needs a reminder of that and his capabilities.
Speaker B:But he's never had one of these series where he scored 400 runs.
Speaker B:He just never has.
Speaker B: back in: Speaker B:It was just consistent throughout.
Speaker B:He didn't actually get a big hundred like Gil did, but just turned out and made a lot of 80s.
Speaker B:He got a 90 in this test as well.
Speaker B:Oh that fourth test as well.
Speaker B:And yeah, just consistent performance and I think he's just taken his game to the next level and I don't mean just test cricket.
Speaker B:Like if you look at Champions trophy, he just turned out every game and played, played that finisher's role despite, you know, changes to the, to the order coming in and out, all of that like nothing mattered to him.
Speaker B:So he's just gone into this Zen mode where he's just enjoying being out in the middle with the bat and having a great time.
Speaker B:So fantastic series and yeah, with him and Yashasvi Jaiswal who by the way didn't have a bad series.
Speaker B:It was just under par considering.
Speaker B:Considering his high standards.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, considering his high standards.
Speaker B:It was an underpar series for jswell, but it was not a bad series at all.
Speaker B:So both of them really have sealed the opening spot for India.
Speaker B:And yeah, I think we're in really good hands for the next four or five years from that opening stand perspective.
Speaker B:But of course we have to talk about Siraj, don't we?
Speaker B:What are your thoughts On Siraj.
Speaker A:So I.
Speaker A:First of all, let's give a shout out to your T shirt, you know, store that you're running.
Speaker A:And I think I mentioned before, I bought a T shirt from your store, which is basically Bumra, so Bumra T shirt.
Speaker A:But based on what Sirat said, I only trust in Jesse By.
Speaker A:It was funny, like today when Dineshka interviewed him immediately after, too soon after he did that final wicket.
Speaker A:And Dick was talking to him about, you know, how he planned to bowl today and all that stuff.
Speaker A:And so I'd say one of the first things he said was, well, I believed in myself.
Speaker A:And I was.
Speaker A:I thought, what a wonderful arc this is from believing in someone else to believing in you.
Speaker A:Like, you know, there's a movie in there somehow.
Speaker A:Listen, I don't think I can praise him enough because a lot of the talk before the series was about Jaspreet Puma.
Speaker A:It's about which test is he gonna play, which one is he gonna miss?
Speaker A:How are India gonna survive without him?
Speaker A:And whenever he didn't play, the talk was about how this was a very weak bowling attack, very diminished.
Speaker A:But it is funny, the.
Speaker A:The only tests that India won were when Bumra did not play.
Speaker A:And in both of those, the pacers came to the floor.
Speaker A:Like, Sirat stepped up in both of the tests that India won.
Speaker A:President did really well, especially in the oval.
Speaker A:I mean, you kind of mentioned it, his run rate.
Speaker A:You know, people would talk about it, but you cannot.
Speaker A:That doesn't take into account, like, some of the spells anymore, you know, like, really troubling the batsman.
Speaker A:Wickets are still wickets at the end of the day, whether they come at two runs for over or five runs for over.
Speaker A:And he was instrumental, you know, in day four, day five of this Test.
Speaker A:So Siraj seems to thrive when he essentially has to take lead.
Speaker A:He seems to relish that responsibility a little more.
Speaker A:And, you know, like, the commentators were raving about it.
Speaker A:And I completely agree that, you know, for someone who's played all five Tests to come in and give your 100%, ball after ball, not like slowing down, not tiring out, but just like bowling yourself into the ground in that way.
Speaker A:He's very similar to Ben Stokes.
Speaker A:Both of them have the same.
Speaker A:Same spirit.
Speaker A:I feel where they're like, as long as I'm on the field, I'm going to give it my everything.
Speaker A:And to me, you know, till.
Speaker A:You know, till he sealed this Test victory, I was really afraid that the defining memory of this test series, both of which would have been Kind of centered on S1 was, you know, the Lord Test and then yesterday's, you know, this chance of Brooke.
Speaker A:I was just thinking that would be so unfortunate if Siraj is remembered for those two moments from this series when he's done so well.
Speaker A:So, you know, when something like this happens where, you know, this redemption thing happens, then you believe, like, sometimes, you know, the good guys do get to it.
Speaker A:Really, really impressed with Siraj.
Speaker A:I'm still waiting for the day when both Bumra and Siraj can bowl, you know, amazingly well at the same time rather than Sira just stepping up whenever Bumbra is out.
Speaker A:And I don't know if it's a tactic thing or a coaching thing, but I really want to see that.
Speaker A:But let's also, like, you know, I mentioned versus a little bit, but Akash Leap had his moments too.
Speaker A:I don't think he bowled as consistently well outside of the second Test.
Speaker A:But, you know, he, he seems to fight her.
Speaker A:You know, I, I read his personal story and he's been through a lot that most people don't even go through in their lifetimes.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:But his fight, you know, you could see that in the way he batted.
Speaker A:You could see that whenever he had to bowl, the nucleus is good.
Speaker A:You know, even Mumra's absence, you have Siraj Prasad, Akash Deep and a few other bowlers in the wings.
Speaker A:Obviously a long way to go for these players to really, to realize their full potential.
Speaker A:But if the team management can stick with them and really work on them, I think the only way to go is up for these bowlers.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:On Siraj and the whole, you know, he performs better with Bumrai, I do think that's a little unfair on him.
Speaker B:I don't think it's just, I mean, I know it's a nice narrative to say he takes the responsibility, but for in Australia, for example, whenever Bumrah was playing and Akash Deep was there, he would often take the B first change.
Speaker B:He would not get the new ball.
Speaker B:And the Duke ball is a little bit different.
Speaker B:But Kokabura in Australia does not do anything after 30 overs.
Speaker B:And I had written towards the end of that series as well that that's where he did the heavy lifting.
Speaker B:So that's why his numbers look a little worse than they were actually.
Speaker B:And I think Akash Deep, yeah, fantastic bowler.
Speaker B:I think there's scope for improvement after the new ball.
Speaker B:I think all his wickets are with within the first 12 overs of the new ball, which, which is great.
Speaker B:Like, obviously it's amazing that he can get us that early breakthrough consistently.
Speaker B:But at the end of the day he will come into pitches like the ones we did in, in England where, you know, the conditions flatten out and it's, it's high scoring.
Speaker B:So he will have to find ways to get wickets as the ball gets old.
Speaker B:And I think that's definitely a scope for improvement for him.
Speaker B:Doesn't have to look far.
Speaker B:You know, Siraj with his wobble ball and all his tricks is a great inspiration for, from that perspective.
Speaker B:Hopefully also works a little bit more on his fitness.
Speaker B:He's been a bit unlucky.
Speaker B:Got injured in the Sydney Test of that series after bowling reasonably pretty well in the two tests that he played and then also got injured in the fourth test.
Speaker B:So here.
Speaker B:So yeah, he's had a few injury problems, I think I read he was bowling through niggles even in this last day.
Speaker B:So yeah, so definitely something that he needs to work on a little bit.
Speaker B:But nonetheless, yeah, really good core nucleus.
Speaker B:When we talked about Rahul Dravid as the coach and him phasing out the likes of Ishan Sharma and Amesh Yadav, you can see why there clearly is a lot of talent here which can be groomed over the years.
Speaker B:And yeah, they're, they're all, you know, 28, 29.
Speaker B:So they hopefully have at least good five, seven years ahead of them to develop into really good talents.
Speaker B:And then with that comes with that, there's their support staff, their support bowlers like Arshdeep and Harshatrana and hopefully Anshul Kamboj also gets a chance and not, you know, a forgettable debut but, but nonetheless, hopefully, you know, those three youngsters were all 25 or below, will also, you know, groom alongside and, and form a great nucleus.
Speaker A:You know, this series wasn't really a memorable one for spinners.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:We talked a lot about the fast bowlers, but the two spinners who kind of did a lot of work with the bat, you know, Jadeja and Sundar.
Speaker A:You know, I was just thinking, man, Washington Sundar has got quite a few games in this series.
Speaker A:You know, Ashwin would have died for this.
Speaker A:Could have died for a chance to play.
Speaker A:But of course a big part of Sunders attraction is the fact that he bats really, really well.
Speaker A:Comparable to, you know, like top order batsman.
Speaker A:So talking about players impressed me a lot.
Speaker A:I have to mention Johnny Johnson there as well.
Speaker A:I mean, JA first of all, I mean, incredibly consistent.
Speaker A:He could have led to what would have been probably the most memorable overseas win for India.
Speaker A:If they had stolen that win at large.
Speaker A:But even otherwise, you know, consistently just turning up, you know, rescuing India with the bat.
Speaker A:And obviously he didn't get like too many long spells with the ball, but same thing with Sundar.
Speaker A:He got more opportunities to shine with the bad.
Speaker A:What happens from here on though, for as far as the spin is, spin attack is concerned because, you know, for all his exploits, he's not getting any younger.
Speaker A:He's probably got another year or two at the most.
Speaker A:Sundar is good with the bat.
Speaker A:He's.
Speaker A:He obviously had a very good home series with, against New Zealand, but his bowling overall, I think there's a lot of questions about if he can be like a frontline spinner.
Speaker A:Do you think the series gave any indication about how India's spin attack will shape up or what?
Speaker A:They're just not enough to go off of.
Speaker B:I, I think there was enough actually because, yeah, you're right, they did not get long spells because, you know, conditions were, weren't necessarily right for them.
Speaker B:There were obviously a couple of flat wickets where they bowled a lot when they needed to give the pacers a break, but otherwise they were more or less hiding in the field and, and showing their skills with the bat.
Speaker B:But even in those moments, I mean, Jadeja and his consistency is, is well known.
Speaker B:He's been around for a long time, so his bowling was not a surprise to anyone.
Speaker B:But Sundar, I think he's been such an improved bowler.
Speaker B:I think back when we won the GABA Test, he was picked because obviously Ashwin and Jadeja both were injured in that test and he was preferred over Kuldeep in that test.
Speaker B:Kuldeep, that was one more series where Kuldeep did not play a game.
Speaker B:And interestingly in that series, I remember him getting Steve Smith out and thinking, wow, that was a bit of a lucky dismissal.
Speaker B:He's, he's obviously talented youngster, but he's not a test level speaker spinner, just frontline spinner yet.
Speaker B:But I think the drift that he's gotten so good at, there was a ball that he bowled to Ben Stokes where it drifted 5.2 degrees or something like that, highest since they've been recording data in England.
Speaker B:And so, yeah, just that made Ben Stokes look so silly.
Speaker B:Like he, he looked so confused as to what happened there and was out.
Speaker A:He doesn't all the time anyway.
Speaker B:Yes, that is also fair.
Speaker B:But, but in that case I, I felt a little bit bad for Ben Stokes because that ball actually would make most batsmen look really ordinary.
Speaker B:And so I think his Bowling has come a long way.
Speaker B:I was, you know, last night I was just writing my thoughts before this, this final day happened.
Speaker B:And I do think that India have a crazy good domestic setup.
Speaker B:Like if the test matches that they play in India, they can afford to Bat Aar at 6, who People have forgotten about Akshar Patel because there's so many great talents.
Speaker B:But he's, he's not going anywhere.
Speaker B:He's a really solid player both with the bat and the ball.
Speaker B:So I think we can afford to bat Akshar at six or if they want Jadeja at six, Akshar seven.
Speaker B:Washington can be eight, Kuldeep can be nine.
Speaker B:And then you still have space for two pacers.
Speaker B:So that's a long lineup that you can have.
Speaker B:And you know, in India you would trust unless they continue to make really spin friendly wickets like they've done in the last, you know, two to three years, you would trust the top six batters to get the job done, top five adders.
Speaker B:So yeah, it'll be, I think that'll be a really, really strong, you know, lineup to, to field an Indian test.
Speaker B:And then of course abroad hopefully they, they'll find ways to pick Kuldeep more for sure.
Speaker B:I'm not sure Akshay really gets in until Jadeja retires.
Speaker B:That, that's going to be a challenge.
Speaker B:I don't think it's likely we'll play at least in, you know, maybe in Sri Lanka we might.
Speaker B:But for New Zealand, India, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, England like and West Indies like, those pitches are probably not suited to have three spin all rounders ever.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker B:So yeah, Akshay probably still has to wait until Jerry just done to find a test spot abroad.
Speaker A:I would also like to see Nish Nitish Reddy given more chances because if he can really, you know, showcase it in Australia a little bit, his batting skills, but if he can really show that he can be in the team just based off his batting alone, then you know, in conditions which are more scene friendly, he could be like, we could really offer that much needed balance, which is what they attempted in this series too.
Speaker A:But I hope they persist with them because India's not exactly brimming with, you know, face bowling all rounders at the moment.
Speaker A:So I think he needs to be given a chance.
Speaker A:We didn't even talk much about rash pun, you know, till he got injured.
Speaker A:He was pretty good as well.
Speaker A:Did he score like two hundreds in the four chest?
Speaker A:The.
Speaker A:He, he, he's been, he's been really solid too and I was worried his absence would be felt in the fifth test.
Speaker A:I mean, Drew Gerald didn't really like do anything dramatic but he also did not harm in his chances, I felt, which is fine.
Speaker A:But I, I do want to talk about the players that I was kind of disappointed by or just, you know, didn't really, I felt like they didn't really contribute much.
Speaker A:You know, on the bowling side, obviously India tried Shardul Thakur for a couple of tests which, you know, I love Shardul because he was, you know, one of the instrumental figures in that amazing series win in Australia a few years ago.
Speaker A:I almost feel like we're still coasting on that memory.
Speaker A:I think it's probably time for him to kind of be phased out as well.
Speaker A:I think he's doing well in domestic cricket but obviously it's not translating to international cricket anymore.
Speaker A:And obviously another big question was who's going to fill the shoes of Rohit and Virat in, you know, that top order?
Speaker A:Obviously India tried Sai, Sudarshan and Karunayer.
Speaker A:I think both of them have like 150 each from this series.
Speaker A:But watching them bad did not inspire a lot of confidence.
Speaker A:But again, for one player, he's very young, first overseas store or another player older, it's making a comeback after a really long time.
Speaker A:I don't know how, you know, given the selection inconsistencies we've talked about already, I don't know if they'll get a chance again anytime soon, but I really hope they give these two another chance, you know, like in home conditions against slightly easier opposition just to see what they have.
Speaker A:I was disappointed that they didn't go on to make more runs.
Speaker A:But what did you make of Sudarshan and Karan Nair the series?
Speaker B:Yeah, I think I was very surprised that Karan was picked in the first place.
Speaker B:You know, India don't usually recall 34 year old batters after they've been dropped in test number of years ago.
Speaker A:Yeah, it was an E jerk reaction to losing garage.
Speaker B:I think it was a bit of that.
Speaker B:But I think he did have a lot of runs in domestic.
Speaker B:He scored 100 for India.
Speaker B:So he definitely pushed his case.
Speaker B:He did everything he could to push his case.
Speaker B:He got a 15 this Oval Test as well in the first innings.
Speaker B:So yeah, I don't know if I think Garner is going to get a turn.
Speaker B:I think this might be the end of his test career.
Speaker B:Very frankly unfortunate because it didn't feel like he got even four consistent opportunities.
Speaker B:He was shuffled around, he was dropped Brought back in a different position.
Speaker B:So it is a little unfortunate, but it, you know, professional cricket is tough.
Speaker B:And then Sai Sudarshan, I think he'll be persistent.
Speaker B:He showed glimpses of being solid and playing that role that, you know, consuming balls, used like 30 or 70 balls on a couple of occasions which in conditions like this is, is useful.
Speaker B:Like in conditions like Australia, it's useful.
Speaker B:That's the sort of the role that Pajara used to do.
Speaker B:And people would, would think he needs to bat faster but truth be told, it made it easier for 4, 5, 6, you know, with the older ball to come in.
Speaker B:So I do think there's scope for that.
Speaker B:But there's so many great talents.
Speaker B:Dhruv Jarrell looks incredibly solid even though he scored just 30 odd in that fifth Test.
Speaker B:He looks really solid.
Speaker B:I think there's potential that he can play as a batter or maybe he keeps if, you know, Rishabh Pant is not fully fit.
Speaker B:And then there's also the likes of Surf Ras Khan and Shreya Sayer who are not even in the squad.
Speaker B:So there's so many batting talents.
Speaker B:I, I really do think that Shreya Sayer is somebody who can be persisted with.
Speaker B:He's a quality batsman, has the temperament to succeed at the international level.
Speaker B:Sure he has the short ball issue, but I think if he's batting at 5, which is really the or 6 rather because 5 is Rishabh Pant, that is not a position that you know he's going to struggle with.
Speaker B:You know, there's a chance he might come up, come, come up against the second new ball.
Speaker B:But apart from a short ball, he'll be, he should be able to manage in most conditions.
Speaker B:So I do think there's scope of that.
Speaker B:Surfra again continues to pile runs.
Speaker B:He's become fitter and all of that.
Speaker B:So I don't think he's super far from the conversation.
Speaker B:But yeah, there's, there are a couple of other names also tried in Australia.
Speaker B:Padikal was played in a couple of games, so there's a lot of good names there.
Speaker B:So I definitely don't see Karunaya continuing on, on the Charlotte point though.
Speaker B:Yeah, one thing on the charlotte point, it's interesting because you're right like that Gaba Test tempted India to try him and keep him around.
Speaker B:And at one point he had this crazy record that whenever he would play India would win.
Speaker B:I think it was like four matches into his career or something like that.
Speaker B:But Raul Dravid under as coach had actually gotten Rid of Chardal.
Speaker B:He was dropped and they had realized that, yep, this is not test quality bowling or at least not consistent enough to be, you know, bowling 18, 20 overs and endings.
Speaker B:I think what's ended up happening is he goes back to domestic cricket and he bowls with the new ball or he bowls first change where he does really well.
Speaker B:But for India, he's never going to be that first change bowler.
Speaker B:There's already Siraj, Jakash, Deep and Prasad, of course, Bumrah when he's available.
Speaker B:So he's really going to be coming in around the 35 over mark.
Speaker B:And that is not something, you know, that ball is not conducive enough for Shardul to make the most of.
Speaker B:He's not express space either.
Speaker B:And yeah, I mean, relying on his batting is a little bit of hit or miss like.
Speaker B:So I think overall it's, it's time we move, move on from Shardal.
Speaker B:This experiment has been tried multiple times, but Gambir's obsession with all rounders tells me that you never know, he might be back.
Speaker A:One other thing that I've thought about, and I don't know if this will be crazy, but for the number three position, you know, a lot of the times the number three batsman or the one down, he comes in pretty early, right?
Speaker A:You know, when India lives in opener, one down, batter comes in.
Speaker A:At that point what?
Speaker A:Might as well try an opener, you know, for the number three spot.
Speaker A:Someone like Abhimanyu Ishaan.
Speaker A:He's been a prolific traveler with the Indian team, accompanying them on every tour recently.
Speaker A:But he's not had a game.
Speaker A:Why not just throw him in there, you know, rather than trying to force someone with a sub 40 average trying to make him a number three or, you know, an older player who's probably at the end of his career.
Speaker A:Why?
Speaker A:I mean, it's just a thought.
Speaker A:Why not try that option?
Speaker B:I don't think he scored a ton of runs for India before the series.
Speaker B:I think that might have been one of the reasons they didn't try that.
Speaker B:I mean, it's probably worth a gamble.
Speaker B:You know, he has an average of 48 and I don't remember how many hundreds, but quite a few hundreds in domestic cricket and first class cricket.
Speaker B:So he's obviously a quality better.
Speaker B:But I think it's one of those things where picking somebody at 28, 29, you really just want to be sure that, yep, that person is going to be up to quality and in a couple of series he's going to get going versus Picking somebody like Surf Raz or Sai Sudarshan who are younger, you kind of see them as a project like India did with Rohit in one days.
Speaker B:He was picked for a long time before he became the credible opener that he did.
Speaker B:So it's one of those projects where it's really tempting to go for the high ceiling player rather than look at the one who's probably going to give you slightly more consistent runs but never going to play out of the world knocks.
Speaker B:That's going to win you game single handedly.
Speaker B:So it's one of those things which is neither here or there.
Speaker B:But yeah, I think that's probably a call for selectors and the people who are seeing Ishwaran play day in, day out, they probably have more insight to making that call.
Speaker A:Yeah, I'll be interesting to see what 11 shapes up, you know, the next time India play Test.
Speaker A:Obviously they played Australia and England arguably to propose not necessarily the strongest teams.
Speaker A:I mean I don't know if England can be considered one of the strongest teams or the top teams in Test cricket but they're definitely someone who a team that grabs your attention and always seems to be there always seems to be a lot of exciting contests whenever English is involved.
Speaker A:But I almost feel like the next few series are probably be, are going to be a little under the radar.
Speaker A:You know, I don't think India's facing any kind of fancy opposition.
Speaker A:I think it's gonna be West Indies up next if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker A:So it'll be interesting to see if they're gonna try, you know, just the old, older kind of experienced players or if they want to like try someone new and go from there.
Speaker A:But yeah, I don't even know when their next Test assignment is.
Speaker A:It looks like it's going to be all limited overs for a little bit.
Speaker A:But we can't really end a conversation on the Test series without even mentioning the English players.
Speaker A:You know, they obviously a lot of them had brilliant run themselves.
Speaker A:Joe Root proving to be, you see the best batter of this generation.
Speaker A:I think it's best batter of this generation.
Speaker A:Is that fair to say?
Speaker B:I still think he's behind Steve Smith, but only marginally.
Speaker B: COVID happened actually since: Speaker B:And so he's obviously shown that he still has the game and he scored runs.
Speaker B:I mean he's always scored runs in, in Asia but now he scored runs pretty much everywhere else.
Speaker B:I think Australia is the only place he doesn't Have a Test hundred, which is kind of surprising.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:But apart from that, he's.
Speaker B:He's just.
Speaker B:I think he cemented his spot as the second best in the fab four, at least as far as tests are concerned.
Speaker B:But, yeah, Steve Smith has had a much better record in Asia, much better record in England.
Speaker B:So I. I think Steve Spitz still, for me, is number one.
Speaker A:I think that's fair enough.
Speaker A:Yeah, I. I've always struggled.
Speaker A:You know, when Steve Smith is an amazing form and he's scoring runs, you know, it's like he's the best batsman of the generation.
Speaker A:And then Joe Root comes along and he gets into his rich form and I'm like, I can't.
Speaker A:I can't figure out who among these two are better.
Speaker A:They.
Speaker A:The thing is, when they're in prime form, they look like you can never get them out unless they get bored or they lose concentration.
Speaker A:Like, it doesn't matter how good a bowler you are, you're not going to get them out unless they.
Speaker A:We're just like, they're done.
Speaker A:So the.
Speaker A:Root was annoyingly good and obviously now he's moved into second in the highest run scores and Test cricket.
Speaker A:And I think it's a matter of time before he overtakes Sachin Tendulkar, which speaks to not just brute skill, but the amount of Test cricket that England play.
Speaker A:And I think it's fair credit to them that they do that.
Speaker A:But another player who's really rising up the ranks and who I was kind of still had my reservations on, and this series, I think he's only continuing to build up his reputation is Harry Brook.
Speaker A:Again, he's one player, I think, who's not reached its full potential.
Speaker A:But even in the limited, you know, at this stage of his career, he's proving himself not just to be exciting, but just consistently getting big scores, which is, like, very interesting to see.
Speaker A:So he looks like he's going to be the next big thing in English cricket and for a long time to come.
Speaker A:What did you make of Brook and what do you think about how he's going to shape up in the coming years?
Speaker B:Yeah, just astonishing.
Speaker B:Better.
Speaker B:Just what a talent, the way he's the.
Speaker B:The one shot that I just, every time I think of Brook is, is his 6 over covers.
Speaker B:The effortlessness with.
Speaker B:With which he hits.
Speaker B: Kevin Peterson back in, like,: Speaker B:Basically they were four down because Chris Wilkes was not going to bat and he comes out and plays his strokes and takes his chances.
Speaker B:Obviously had a little bit of luck with Sirat stepping on, on the boundary but other than that it was a really good innings where he was you know, taking on the bowlers and just pushing India back and it took a session and a half to completely change the whole the way the game was going.
Speaker B:So that is astonishing ability and the shots that he played like I think Akash deep was pulling it over to him where he got driven through the covers and Akashdeep made a slight adjustment, gave him slightly less room and he smacked him through mid wicket and it was not a bad ball by any means and it was just Brook and his ability to play some audacious stroke.
Speaker B:It, it reminded me of although it was in a one day but Kevin Peterson switch hitting Murli Dharan for a six over point.
Speaker B:At that point that's, that's the first thing I could, could think of because my, my, you know it was so audacious back in the day to think about hitting Morley first of all and to hit him like that was unbelievable.
Speaker B:And that is sort of the feeling that Brooke gets that Brooke gives rather he has so many runs in Pakistan.
Speaker B:I'm a little disappointed that he didn't show up in India last time.
Speaker B:Would have been a great contest with Ashwin and Jadeja and now he's not going to face Ashwin at home.
Speaker B:But nonetheless like really great talent and you can see why him, Gil Yeshasvi, Jaiswal Pant are considered like you know, the big four maybe with Kamindu from Sri Lanka.
Speaker B:The big five in the next of the next generation.
Speaker A:Yeah and I, what I, what I like about him is also apart from his run scoring is the way he carries himself.
Speaker A:He can be a little bit prickly towards the opposition but really it's a lot of it is just like his confidence just pouring out and I think it's only a matter of time before he replaces Ollie Pope as vice captain and eventually captain.
Speaker A:I mean he's already doing it in limited overs and I think think he's just trying to be the next, you know, the leader especially since Ben Stokes.
Speaker A:I don't know how much more he has left in his tank and I don't think Ollie Pope is, I don't even know if he's assured up a spot because he does score you know, attractive hundreds every now and then.
Speaker A:But doesn't really inspire confidence when he comes to bat every time, unlike Harry Brooke.
Speaker A:So, yeah, I think it'll be fast.
Speaker A:I feel Shipment Gill for India and Harry Brook for England is going to be like, you know, how it was with Ricky Ponting and, you know, like the Indian captains of that are like, you know, those rivalries.
Speaker A:I think Gil versus Brooke is like the prime rivalry that we're going to see in the coming years.
Speaker A:Also, the banter between the two teams.
Speaker A:Obviously, whenever these two teams play each other, there's always a little bit of edge, just a little edge between them.
Speaker A:And there was so many memorable moments.
Speaker A:I don't even know which one to pick.
Speaker A:Be it the whole, you know, that final.
Speaker A:It's Lords, right, where Shiman Gill and Zach Crawley, Ben Duckett getting involved.
Speaker A:And even in this Test, you know how the English fielders are goading, you know, size version to take a review.
Speaker A:There's just like so many moments from this and obviously none of it, at least in my opinion, didn't cross the line.
Speaker A:It was mostly, you know, these are all.
Speaker A:But you could see the way they, you know, especially at the end of the game, how they would talk to each other.
Speaker A:They obviously respect each other and obviously IPL plays a huge part of that, too.
Speaker A:But what did you make of, you know, the banter between the two teams and just the needling between them throughout the series?
Speaker B:Yeah, it was fun to watch.
Speaker B:There were, I think they were, you know, you mentioned Harry Brooke, of course, but even Ben Duckett was one of those characters who would go after randomly like he's fielding and he would go after the batter.
Speaker B:Have something to say.
Speaker B:Krishna is not somebody I had expected I would say this about, but he had a run in with Jew Root in the first innings of the Swift Test, which was also interesting to say because you're the usual, you know, smiling assassin was getting fired up and eventually got out for 29.
Speaker B:So it was just a good ball that he got up to.
Speaker B:So I'm not going to read too much into the sledging, but, yeah, maybe it played a little bit in, you know, decreasing his concentration.
Speaker B:So, yeah, there were a lot of really good moments.
Speaker B:I don't think anything can top Schumann Gill getting fired up with Zach Crawley.
Speaker B:That whole over.
Speaker B:I think the only thing that was remaining from that over was a wicket to fall.
Speaker B:Because I remember in Australia, there was a time where Sam Constance.
Speaker B:Yeah, yep.
Speaker B:And Bumrah, like they were wasting time and doing all of that.
Speaker B:And then Bumra got, I think Kwaja LBW or caught behind something like that and literally turned around and looked at Sam Constance as if it was his fault for getting Bumrah fired up.
Speaker B:So that was the only little bit that was missing from that battle.
Speaker B:But it was, it was really great fun.
Speaker B:They took their time coming down and, and yeah, it fired up the Indian players and yeah, it definitely, it's clear that they have a lot of respect for each other.
Speaker B:Harry Brook, in his surprising man of the Match series award talked about Siraj and how he respected him and, and I think so, yeah, overall the players do respect each other and, and their.
Speaker A:Skills and I think it adds color to the game.
Speaker A:It's all well and fine to say, well, we just want to see a game, you know, between bad and ball, but players are humans, they're not robots.
Speaker A:You know, especially when they're so passionate and they're, you know, so fired up and they want to win, you know, for their team.
Speaker A:A little bit of their personality is going to bleed in.
Speaker A:A little bit of their, that competitive spirit which all top class athletes have is going to bleed into it.
Speaker A:And when you have proud players from team, from these two teams and Australia as well, you're going to see that.
Speaker A:And I think it's fine.
Speaker A:It adds to the, the myth, the story.
Speaker A:You know, when people talk about this series like 10 years later, they, you know, people would be like, oh, do you remember when Gil what Guild said to Crawley?
Speaker A:You know, they'll have, they'll remember those moments.
Speaker A:You know, people who are at the ground will remember those moments.
Speaker A:So I think it adds color, it adds drama.
Speaker A:And again, as long as it's well within, you know, bounds and not crossing into personal or abusive territory, I think it's, it's totally fine.
Speaker A:It added to, you know, you know, we talked about the contest between the English team and the English Indian team on the field.
Speaker A:You know, just their skills as batters and bowlers, but also their personalities.
Speaker A:Flashing was also that added to it.
Speaker A:I think it, it almost made the series better because they brought a lot of their personal quirks and characteristics into it.
Speaker A:So I cannot believe there's not going to be another India vs England Test to look forward to.
Speaker A:I think I'm gonna have a draw, honestly, because, you know, as soon as I got off the plane, I got to the hotel room.
Speaker A:Guess what I did for three and a half hours I watched a full replay of the last hour of day four and well, one and a half hours if you're being precise, and then another two hours on day Five.
Speaker A:So the full, the actual play and then, you know, the post match interviews presentation, that's how I spent my time.
Speaker A:That's how much this series and this game has gone into my head in this last 24 hours.
Speaker A:And it's going to be a withdrawal and I know for sure when India, you know, the limited over steam play next.
Speaker A:I'm not gonna have this feeling and I don't think it's like a quote unquote Boomer take.
Speaker A:It's just what it is.
Speaker A:It's like we mentioned it briefly, just doesn't have the same appeal as a test match.
Speaker A:Not saying that I'm not going to watch the T20, I will, but I'm not gonna look forward to it the way I did for this series.
Speaker A:So I, I really can't wait to see another hard fork series.
Speaker A:I know the Ashes is around the corner, but I really want India to feature in some, some more contests like these where they're evenly matched.
Speaker B:Yep, absolutely.
Speaker B:I, I wish there were more, you know, I wish there were more countries which had that same level of talent.
Speaker B:I think we've gotten to a point where there's these three.
Speaker B:South Africa, New Zealand are somewhat close and then there's a big gap between 6 and below and that's disappointing.
Speaker B:You know, Pakistan might say that they're, they're up there as well, but either way, like it's, it's disappointing that it's really just six nations holding the fort because yeah, you do see a drop in quality once another series happens.
Speaker B:But having said that, the one man we didn't talk about who's definitely worth a mention and in my mind should have been man of the series.
Speaker B:But of course Gotham Gumby randomly picked Harry Brook is, is, is Ben Stokes, of course, just tremendous skill both with the bat and the ball.
Speaker B:I think he was struggling a little bit with the B.
Speaker B:Then in the fourth test conditions also helped, but he batted well to get a big hundred and then, yeah, just bowling wise, just great effort throughout.
Speaker B:Like his body's obviously not the same as it was a few years ago, but he's so skillful and such a great watch.
Speaker B:He was on most occasions, I would say the most dangerous bowler from an Indian perspective.
Speaker B:He was always coming back and getting those breaks and yeah, just their go to man with the ball.
Speaker B:I don't think there's any doubt about his, you know, capabilities as an all rounder and even though I don't care about the comparisons with Ravi Jadeja and all of that, I think the the other piece I was realizing is it might be his last English summer because he is obviously going into a long ashes at the end of the year, but considering his fitness, the fact that he's.
Speaker B:I think he's about 35, 36.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Not sure if he comes back.
Speaker B:So in England, we'll definitely miss him from that perspective and certainly an incredible series for.
Speaker B:For him.
Speaker A:I mean, I would think he would love to, you know, have a farewell in front of the home crowds rather than ending, you know, his career in Australia, where England are probably going to lose.
Speaker A:So I don't know if that's the way he want to.
Speaker A:Would want to go, but.
Speaker A:No, you're right.
Speaker A:Ben Stokes, for the longest time has been my favorite English player.
Speaker A:And ever since he became captain, he seems to have switched up one gear.
Speaker A:And the thing is, he's like a great example of where stats don't tell the whole story.
Speaker A:If you just looked at his numbers and you'd be like, okay, it's pretty good.
Speaker A:Not great, right?
Speaker A:But that doesn't take into account, like, his exploits on the field, where he inspires the team just by his presence.
Speaker A:You know, he almost selects his moments when he wants to, like, rise up to the occasion with the bat or the ball or just by his leadership backing of his players.
Speaker A:And so he is definitely, you know, like a once in a lifetime kind of cricket.
Speaker A:And again, not about the numbers, but just the way he lifts the team.
Speaker A:And that's a quality that.
Speaker A:That's a.
Speaker A:That's a type of frigate that not every team has today.
Speaker A:And so you're right.
Speaker A:I was actually surprised that Harry Brooke was named the man of the series over Stokes.
Speaker A:But that in no way takes away the fact that this was a very, very impressive performance from someone who always seems to be on the verge of breaking down.
Speaker A:The fact that he even made it fortes, I think that was impressive for him.
Speaker A:But no, he definitely added to what has turned out to be an amazing series, a series that I think we will still be talking about in the years to come.
Speaker A:But, you know, for.
Speaker A:For an immediate reaction episode, I think we've spoken for an hour.
Speaker A:And so we should save a lot of this stuff for future episodes as well.
Speaker A:Maybe we should get Ben Drel back or, you know, another Englishman on the podcast to kind of do a more analytical and detailed look at this series because I think there's just so much to talk about.
Speaker A:We really scratched the surface on every single point.
Speaker A:But, Mike, thank you so much for spending some time breaking this Momentous day and momentous series with me.
Speaker A:You know, I'll just end with what Gail Rahul remarked on, you know, when he talked to Dinesh Karthik at the end of the play.
Speaker A:He said, you know, at the end of the day, it's a drawn series.
Speaker A:India didn't win this series.
Speaker A:But it does mean a lot to the cricketers and the fans that given the inexperience, given that it's a new captain, given that, you know, they're playing in England where they don't always win consistently.
Speaker A:It's funny we take it for granted now, but I remember the days when India won like a Test overseas.
Speaker A:It was like they actually won, like, that's incredible.
Speaker A:But now we have such high standards that we expect them to win the series.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So I, I did agree with him and he said that even though it's too.
Speaker A:Even though it was a drawing series, given the context of the team that they had, the inexperienced leadership they had and against, you know, like Ben Stokes and his fan and this quote unquote, basketball, which really we didn't get to see consistently, you know, the fact that India really made them adapt and actually battle it out for long stretches throughout the series, I think in a way that is a bigger positive for India than just a series win would have been.
Speaker A:I think it shows that they have the ability to fight.
Speaker A:I mean, they have lots of room for improvement overall, but consistently there were players who put their hand up, fought, and I think for a young team, that's just very encouraging.
Speaker A:And sometimes it's easy to be cynical.
Speaker A:The Indian cricket team and you know, who's the coach or which direction they're going in.
Speaker A:But just in terms of the players themselves, I think as a fan, I am a lot more optimistic now than when Rohit and announced their retirement.
Speaker B:I couldn't agree more.
Speaker B:Yeah, just a great set of talented players and.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Excited for the future.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:All right, well, to our listeners, thank you so much.
Speaker A:And if you're Indian cricket fans or even English cricket fans, remember this is a drawn series and it was filled with memorable performances from both sides.
Speaker A:So if you're listening to this episode, just do kind of spend some more time just reminiscing about this series which just got over.
Speaker A:Thank you for spending some time with us.
Speaker A:And again, please do follow us on our social media feeds.
Speaker A:We look forward to seeing you again on another episode.
Speaker A:We'll talk to you later.
Speaker A:Take care of.
