From underdogs to equals: How India forced England to draw Test series

The enthralling 2-2 draw for the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy between England and India provided a dramatic start to the new World Test Championship cycle.

It was an epic contest, each of the five Tests going into the final day, four in fact into the final session, providing some of the best individual and collective performances the five-day format has seen in recent years.

The score-line scoffed at projections made by former cricketers and pundits before the series, a majority of whom had predicted an easy win - if not a clean sweep - for England.

Setting aside England's home advantage, experts argued India's pre-series struggles made them easy targets - and with good reason.

Whitewashed 0-3 at home by New Zealand, followed by a 3-1 drubbing by Australia Down Under in two preceding series, India looked vulnerable and wobbly.

A spate of sudden retirements and fitness issues left India without four key players - R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Mohammed Shami. Their absence was expected to place immense pressure on young Shubman Gill, leading the side in his first series as captain.

India's squad had undeniable talent, but its inexperience - especially in batting under challenging conditions - was a concern.

KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rishabh Pant were seasoned campaigners in England, but Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudarshan, Karun Nair, Washington Sundar, and Abhimanyu Easwaran had never played at this level there before.

Gill's modest overseas batting record fuelled doubts about his suitability for captaincy. Added worries over pace ace Jasprit Bumrah's fitness further dimmed India's prospects.

Losing the first Test at Headingley from a winning position, as England chased 373 in the fourth innings, confirmed pundits' doubts.

But India recovered from this setback in style to win the next Test at Edgbaston by a whopping 336 runs.

The swift turnaround came not from luck but skill and relentless determination - qualities that defined India's performance for the rest of the series.

The three Tests that followed were bitterly fought, both teams raising the intensity and skill levels, matching each other blow-for-blow.

This sparked frequent heated clashes but also unforgettable acts of heroism, with players from both sides battling fatigue and injury to keep their teams in the fight.

Some aspects of what kept India in the fight right through the neck-and-neck contest comes through in the stats.

Three batsmen - Gill, Rahul and Jadeja - topped 500 runs in the series. England had one, Joe Root.

There were 12 centuries made by India, England had nine.

Mohammed Siraj with 23 was the highest wicket-taker from either side. The only bowler to take 10 wickets in a match was Akash Deep.

Failures were scant, heroes were plenty, but the pillars of India's extraordinary show in the series were Gill and Siraj.

Gill, in Bradmanesque form, made 754 runs, 430 of them coming in one Test.

He failed by a mere 20 runs to break Sunil Gavaskar's record series aggregate, and was also second to Don Bradman (810) for highest runs made in a series by a captain.

To be mentioned alongside Bradman and Gavaskar testifies to Gill's achievement and potential. His prolific scoring earned his team's full respect, and after a hesitant start, he quickly grew in confidence, showing fine temperament and smart tactics in tough situations.

Siraj, who since his 2021 debut had lived in the shadows of Bumrah and Shami, emerged so spectacularly that he instantly entered cricket folklore.

Feisty and indefatigable, he bowled with a lion's heart - steaming in at full tilt, sparing his body no mercy, embracing the spearhead's role in Bumrah's absence, and inspiring the other pacers to bowl out of their skins - earning universal awe and admiration.

Siraj's 23 wickets came at an average of 32.43, with an economy rate of 4.02 and a strike rate of 48.43 - hardly earth-shattering figures.

In India's two victories, he was the decisive force. At Edgbaston, his six wickets in the first innings (seven overall) swung the match firmly in India's favour. At the Oval, he took nine wickets - four in the first innings and five in the second - turning the match on its head.

How India held their nerve for 25 days under immense pressure - driven by willpower, ambition, and skill - culminating in a thrilling final 56-minute comeback at the Oval to win and level the series, is one of Test cricket's most riveting tales.

It also marked this Indian young team's transition from apprehension and misgivings one of rich promise fuelled by ambition and excellence.

The future looks rosy.

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