Shubman Gill was ecstatic after leading his team to a 2-2 draw in a five-match series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy and being named India’s player of the series by England coach Brendon McCullum.
The young Indian captain claimed that every match went to the final day, demonstrating that both teams gave it their all. He also noted that having bowlers like Siraj and Prasidh in the squad made captaincy simpler.
“Both teams played brilliantly throughout the series. Both teams came up with their A game, happy to get on the right side today. When you have bowlers like Siraj and Prasidh, captaincy seems easy. They were making the ball talk,” he said.
Gill claimed that despite being under strain, India remained confident even on Day 4, stating that they understood England was in trouble after a few wickets had fallen.
“Yes, there was a bit of pressure on us, but they were bowling well. We were confident. We wanted them to feel the pressure throughout the 37 runs they scored. When asked about having Siraj, who was adjudged the player of the match for his 5-wicket haul, in his team, he said: “He is a captain’s dream, every ball, every spell he bowled, he came all out and gave it everything for the team.”
On being asked whether a 2-2 scoreline was fair at the end of the five-match series, he said: “Both teams coming into Day 5 not knowing who would win shows how passionate both teams were and how hard everyone has played. Feels very rewarding, there were certain things I wanted to work on as a batter, and it was a goal to end as the best batter of this series, glad to get that goal.”
“It is always a combination of technique and mentality. When you are feeling good mentally, then the technique naturally flows,” he added.
As for what he learnt from the series, Gill’s sharp reply was: “That we never give up.”
What Happened in the India vs England Series?
In the exciting fifth and final Test match on Monday, India defeated England by a commanding six runs, capping an outstanding game between the two cricketing titans.
With an outstanding bowling performance, Mohammed Siraj (5/104) was India’s star player. He finished the series with 23 wickets, the most of any player on either team.
When terrible light and rain forced an early conclusion on the fourth evening, England was at 339 for six, chasing a record target of 374.
India finished England’s second innings at 367 in 85.1 overs after quickly taking the final four wickets.
