Test of the century?
Strap: Records shattered, legends forged, and limbs broken; this five-Test epic had everything but calm
Blurb:
Oddly enough, these long, sprawling battles are tailor-made for the modern age. Seven hours a day. Five days at a stretch. Spread across six to eight weeks. If that sounds familiar, it’s because we already have a word for it – binge-watching.
Byline: Rakesh Ganesh
Could a single Test series truly contain this much chaos, drama, and contradiction? So much, that no matter how vividly you remember it, there’s always a surreal layer you somehow missed. Yes, Shubman Gill really did take a swing at Bradman’s legacy, while simultaneously swinging at Zak Crawley’s ego. Yes, Jofra Archer stormed back into Test cricket, not just bowling, but breathing fire. And yes, England pulled off their second-highest chase ever… and somehow, it felt both magnificent and mundane. In one series, England vowed to be humbler, nicer, and not-so-nice, all at once. What makes this series unlike any other? Call it a reckoning. Call it a rebirth. But above all, call it a renaissance. Let’s dig in.
Records, ruin & redemption
At The Oval, on a Monday that felt anything but ordinary, India pulled off a heist, one that left jaws on the floor and a nation silenced. A six-run victory, the slimmest in India’s Test history, carved its place in folklore as England’s towering pursuit came crashing down despite firework centuries from Harry Brook and the ever-dependable Joe Root.
For a moment, England seemed poised to rewrite history by chasing down the highest total at the venue in 123 years. But the moment didn’t last. Mohammed Siraj, with eyes blazing and rhythm lethal, unleashed a storm in the opening hour of Day 5, ripping through England’s resistance with three wickets in a spell that felt like a fever dream. With it came his fifth five-wicket haul, sealing not just a match, but a moment.
The series stood squared at 2-2, but what had unfolded over the past weeks was far more than a scoreline, it was a saga.
India’s total tally of 3,809 runs became the highest ever recorded in a five-match Test series. Shubman Gill, not content with just brilliance, shattered a 35-year-old record, amassing 754 runs, eclipsing both Graham Gooch and Sunil Gavaskar in one swoop, and setting a new record for the most runs by an Indian captain in a Test series.
Joe Root quietly carved out a slice of immortality too, becoming the first batter to breach the 6,000-run mark in World Test Championship history, trailing only the legend Sachin Tendulkar in overall Test runs. Siraj, meanwhile, etched his name into history as the first Asian pacer to take four or more wickets in a Test match in England,7 times.
At the top, Crawley and Duckett joined elite company, becoming only the second opening pair after Haynes and Greenidge to smash over 1,000 runs against India. Even Akash Deep got his share of the limelight, becoming just the third Indian night-watchman to raise his bat for a Test fifty, following in the footsteps of Syed Kirmani and Amit Mishra. This wasn’t just cricket. This was carnage, poetry, theatre, and legacy stitched into whites and played under cloudy skies.
The Great binge
And to think, for all the landmark moments etched in memory from this series, no one really remembers how it all began. The first Indian wicket? That happened 46 days ago. A heartbeat ago. A lifetime ago. That’s the paradox of a five-Test series, it blurs time, bends memory, and holds you captive like few other sporting experiences can.
Oddly enough, these long, sprawling battles are tailor-made for the modern age. Seven hours a day. Five days at a stretch. Spread across six to eight weeks. If that sounds familiar, it’s because we already have a word for it – binge-watching. A term that entered dictionaries a decade ago, but in truth, it’s what cricket fans have been doing since 1877. A truly great Test series becomes your entire world. There are heroes who rise, villains who unravel, and plot twists so unexpected, they leave you gasping. You learn its language. Live by its rhythm. And like the best shows? No spoilers, ever. Because the script is still being written.
Chris Woakes shuffled to the crease wrapped like an Egyptian mummy, every step a struggle, every movement a testament to courage. This wasn’t fiction, this wasn’t scripted. In just this series, we saw Rishabh Pant bat on a broken foot, Shoaib Bashir claim a match-defining wicket with a fractured finger, and Ben Stokes tear through an eight-over spell at Old Trafford with a shoulder muscle most doctors would struggle to name. The game took its toll. Stokes. Archer. Bumrah. Pant, all sidelined for the final test.
And as the Indian players took a jubilant lap of honour around The Oval, you could feel it, not just the triumph, but the weight of history on their shoulders. We’ve seen it before but cricket really is the be all and end all for them.
So, the next time someone asks whether Test cricket still has a pulse, just show them this. Show them the bruised shoulders, the broken toes, the final-day nerves, and the silent, breathless crowds. Test cricket has been saved. Again!