Former Indian Test opener Navjot Singh Sidhu showered praise on India’s collective effort against England in the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar series. India won the final Test match at Kennington Oval, London, by six runs to draw the series.
The likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Siraj performed consistently for the team.
India was without the presence of star players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin, as the trio has announced their retirement. Furthermore, India was without Jasprit Bumrah for the final Test.
“People would say that Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah, and maybe Ashwin, without them it will long to build the team. But see that they won two games without Bumrah. Look at the batting. This was not a one-man show or a worship of one or two heroes. From the start till the end, from Akash Deep to Washington Sundar, Prasidh Krishna, so many heroes emerged,” Sidhu said on his YouTube channel.
Sidhu highlighted that Karun Nair scored a crucial knock of 57 runs in the first innings at the Oval. The former right-hander said Sai Sudharsan is the future of Indian cricket.
“The new guys who got opportunities, be it Sai Sudharsan, be it Karun Nair, there performances in the last match was worth its weight in gold. Sai Sudharsan is the future. You will see the fruit bearing of this series win when we play in India. You will see how they play with the tide then. This evolution in quick time is brilliant,” he added.
The former Indian batter hailed Indian bowlers for delivering on the final day of the fifth Test. The visitors only had 35 runs to play with, but Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishan were right on the money, bagging three and one wicket respectively.
“If you look at it overall, be it the middle order, be it the openers, and lower order, and the fast bowling, India has emerged as an established team. Look at what Gill told at the press conference, we had made sure England take 30 singles, we will not give boundaries. They will will have to earn boundaries. This is such a big statement. It is a fantastic thought process. No one would have thought in their dreams that this team will establish itself in England,” he said.
Indian players were able to deliver under pressure at the Oval and snatched a win from the jaws of defeat.
