Team India picked up the remaining four wickets on the last day of the fifth Test to beat England thrillingly by just six runs. It is the narrowest win margin for India in their history of Test cricket, even as the visitors levelled the five-match series 2-2. Interestingly, India didn't opt for the second new ball that was available only after 22 balls. In helpful conditions, the new ball would've swung more, but India skipper Shubman Gill has revealed the reason for not opting for the new cherry.
In the post-match press conference, Gill pointed out that the two bowlers - Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna - were bowling well with the old ball itself and it was their cautious decision not to opt for the second new ball. "We did have the option for the second ball but the way Siraj and Prasidh were bowling, we didn't feel like we needed a new ball. Even though the ball was 80 overs old, we knew that they could do the job for us...We knew that there was a lot of pressure on England," Gill said.
Gill and Siraj took home the series and match honours
Mohammed Siraj won the player of the match award for picking up a five-wicket haul in the second innings. He also finished with a total of nine wickets in the Test match and became the leading wicket-taker of the series with 23 scalps to his name. Shubman Gill won the player of the series award for India for his 754 runs in 10 innings with four centuries to his name, including a double-century at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
For England, Harry Brook won the player of the series award, for scoring 481 runs in nine innings at an average of 53.44 with two centuries and as many fifties to his name.
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