London: The legendary Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli led the cricket fraternity in lavishing praise on the Indian team after the stunning win in the fifth Test against England Monday, which helped them square the five-match series.
Pacer Mohammed Siraj (5/104) was the standout performer, delivering one of his finest performances under pressure. He finished the series with 23 wickets, the highest across both teams.
Set a record target of 374, England were well-placed at 339 for six at stumps on the penultimate day, before bad light and rain halted play. However, India picked up the remaining four wickets quickly on the final morning to bowl England out for 367.
Tendulkar lauded the team’s performance, rating them a perfect 10.
“Test cricket… absolute goosebumps. Series 2–2, Performance 10/10! SUPERMEN from INDIA! What a Win,” Tendulkar tweeted.
Kohli, who retired from the Test format before this tour of England, wrote on ‘X’, “Great win by Team India. Resilience and determination from Siraj and Prasidh has given us this phenomenal victory. Special mention to Siraj who will put everything on the line for the team. Extremely happy for him.”
Siraj promptly thanked Kohli for “believing” in his abilities.
Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly praised the team’s consistency and key performers.
“Exceptional series from Jadeja, Washington, Pant ..so much consistency from this young team. @bcci.”
Meanwhile, swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who was ruled out of the fifth Test due to a broken foot, said this team is “hungry” for success and will take Indian cricket forward.
“A tour that asked a lot and gave even more in return. Proud of how this team stood up, adapted and kept fighting. Representing the country means everything to us, it takes everything out of you but we take pride in that.
“Big thanks to our incredible support staff and the fans who stood by us throughout. This team is hungry, united and here to take Indian cricket forward,” Pant wrote on Instagram.
According to former batter and noted cricket expert Sanjay Manjrekar, India’s performance in the series showed that no “individual is indispensable”, as the 2-2 draw was achieved by a team that had seen the likes of Kohli and Rohit Sharma retire from the Test format not long before the team left for the England tour.
“Series drawn with 2 wins that didn’t feature Rohit, Virat, Shami & yes BUMRAH too! Great win for Indian cricket & great LESSON for Indian cricket. No individual is indispensable. Well done team India,” Manjrekar tweeted.
Former batter Wasim Jaffer wrote on ‘X’: “Series drawn but India take the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy on boundary count @MichaelVaughan #ENGvIND.”
Lauding the team’s effort, former India captain and spin great Anil Kumble wrote: “Well played India!! What a series… #INDvsENG. Well done to everyone involved from both teams. Stunning performance today by @mdsirajofficial and @prasidh43 to hold their nerves. Congratulations @ShubmanGill and the team for a great series!”
India batter Suryakumar Yadav also hailed the team for the incredible win.
“What a solid show, boys! Love watching this team fight and finish strong till the very end #TeamIndia.”
Veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane added: “Test cricket doesn’t get better than this. Tense finish, pressure moments, and character on display. Well done @BCCI.”
Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan praised Siraj’s grit, tweeting: “Iron body with heart of a Lion. Mohammed Siraj.”
Echoing the sentiment, former spinner Harbhajan Singh wrote: “Brilliant from Siraj and Prasidh. What a win for us. Great Test match. @mdsirajofficial @prasidh43 @BCCI. Congratulations to every member of the team @ShubmanGill. Tum sab ne jeeta DIL. Love you guys.”
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan also chimed in, saying: “Wow .. I haven’t witnessed anything quite like that .. an incredible series .. #ENGvIND.”
Besides, Prasidh Krishna (4/126) was also instrumental in scripting the thrilling win, striking at crucial moments to turn the tide in India’s favour.