India win Test finale by six runs in Oval classic

LONDON, England:

A gloomy, drizzly London morning. The final day of a fifth Test. Just 35 runs or four wickets away from victory.

Those are not usually temptations for selling a bunch of match tickets.

But the oval was sold out yesterday in goosebump anticipation of a dramatic end to the England-India series, and a buzzing crowd of 27,000 wasn't disappointed.

The action lasted for only an hour and 8.5 overs, but every ball drew a roller-coaster of emotions as India won by a measly six runs in a fitting climax to a series that finished in a 2-2 draw.

Adding to the drama, England all-rounder Chris Woakes came out to bat one-handed with a dislocated left shoulder tucked in a sling under his jersey.

Woakes ran a bye in obvious agony -- his left arm fell out of the sling -- and was protected by teammate Gus Atkinson from facing a ball. But Atkinson couldn't safeguard his own wicket for long and was the last man out, missing his attempted sweep and bowled by a Mohammed Siraj full toss.

England, in pursuit of an Oval-record 374, were all out for 367.

CAPTAIN'S DREAM

Siraj took off running with arms out in airplane mode; his third wicket in the hour gave him five wickets in the innings and nine in the match.

"Siraj is a captain's dream," India captain Shubman Gill said. "Gave it his all every ball and every spell he bowled."

Gill, the first-time captain who became the all-time leading run-scorer in any single England-India series, was named co-player of the series beside Harry Brook, whose 111 on Sunday lifted England in sight of clinching the series 3-1.

"To rock up with a crowd like this today when we needed 30-odd runs to win is phenomenal," Brook said. "I don't think we could get support like that in any other series, other than the Ashes.

"We have not left anything out on that pitch. We have been absolutely knackered. A very intense Test series, but a very enjoyable one."

EXCEED EXPECTATIONS

India, trying to win a series in England for the first time since 2007, lost the toss in all five Tests but exceeded expectations by winning more sessions.

It was a tribute to Gill and his inexperienced team that the fight they put up diminished talk about the pre-series retirements of India greats Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin.

"Before the series we spoke about how we didn't want to be looked at as a young team," Gill said. "We wanted to be a gun team and I think we showed that today."

Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Lokesh Rahul put Sharma in the shade, and Gill met the No. 4 traditions of Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli.

Gill was the series leading run-scorer with 754, more than 200 more than Joe Root, and Siraj was the leading wicket-taker with 23, playing all five Tests and still bowling at 90 mph (145 kph) on the final day.

Also remarkably, premier bowler Jasprit Bumrah was restricted for workload reasons to three Tests and India's two wins were without him.

- AP