The five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy had plenty of drama on and off the field, which led to tense moments in each of the five venues. The Indian Express takes a look at them.
The finger-wagging scenes at Lord’s
Apart from the occasional stare here and there, the series was going smoothly, but on the third evening at the Lord’s, everything changed. With clock ticking down for stumps, England openers arrived 90 seconds late at the crease. India were intent on bowling two overs in England’s second innings, but Zak Crawley had other ideas. In what would be the lone over sent down by Jasprit Bumrah, the opener pulled out once mid-way through the pacer’s run-up which didn’t please the Indians. Moments later, after the ball brushed his glove, he sought medical attention to ensure there was no more time for another over. It led to finger-wagging scenes between Shubman Gill and Crawley with the Indian captain asking the England openers to “grow some f****** b****”.
Shubman Gill & Co. didn’t come to be played around, 𝙠𝙮𝙪𝙣𝙠𝙞 𝙔𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙝𝙣𝙚 𝙣𝙖𝙝𝙞, 𝙨𝙞𝙠𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙖𝙮𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙣!#ENGvIND 👉 3rd TEST, DAY 4 | SUN 13th JULY, 2:30 PM | Streaming on JioHotstar pic.twitter.com/ix13r7vtja
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 12, 2025
The morning after…
The charged-up atmosphere would continue for the remainder of the Test. On the fourth morning, Mohammed Siraj decided to get a bit physical. After dismissing Ben Duckett, the Indian pacer’s celebration came to the attention of the match referee. The celebration which included a few roars, staring and shouting in Duckett’s direction, ended with a brushing of shoulders as they crossed each other. It earned Siraj a fine of 15% of his match fees and one demerit point. All of this from Indians would result in England having a conversation in the dressing room, with Jofra Archer claiming, “We all came together as a group and said, ‘we’re a bit too nice.” On Day 5, they ensured Indian batsmen got enough send-offs. The Test, of course, ended up with one of the most dramatic moments of the series as Siraj was left on his knees after the ball trickled onto the stumps from the middle of his bat to leave Ravindra Jadeja stranded in a 22-run defeat. A heated Test ended with England players consoling Jadeja and Siraj for the fight.
Scored a hundred, saved the Test, farmed ♾ aura! 💁♂#RavindraJadeja didn’t hesitate, till the end 👀#ENGvIND 👉 5th TEST | Starts THU, 31st July, 2:30 PM | Streaming on JioHotstar! pic.twitter.com/cc3INlS07P
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 27, 2025
England’s moral class
By Lord’s standards, there wasn’t much heat in Manchester as England looked all set to take an unassailable lead in the series. However, as India successfully managed to bat out five sessions, their decision to carry on batting into the last hour when draw was the only option, led to England giving moral lectures. With Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar in sight of well-deserved centuries and just a three-day gap before the fifth Test, India were keen on letting them bat and tire the England attack. Ben Stokes offered to shake hands with one hour to go, but Jadeja refused, prompting the England captain to ask, “Jaddu, do you want to get a Test 100 against Brook & Duckett?” As Jadeja responded “What do you want me to do, just walk off?” Crawley then chipped in saying: “You can, just shake your hand.” India would carry on until Washington completed his maiden Test ton.
Verbal attacks at The Oval
By this point, even a light exchange was beginning to trigger both teams that had everything to play for. After dismissing Duckett – to an attempted reverse-scoop – Akash Deep would let out a few roars then put an arm around the left-hander as he walked off. Though Akash didn’t say anything, Duckett didn’t seem pleased about it. Later on, as Joe Root played and missed one that shaped away, Prasidh Krishna uttered, “You are looking in great shape.” It somehow unsettled Root, who got into a verbal spat with Prasidh before the umpire Kumar Dharamasena intervened to calm things down. When India batted, Duckett then gave a send-off to B Sai Sudharsan, who stopped to exchange a few words.
Chris Woakes one-hand stand
England pacer Chris Woakes came out with his arm on a sling, hidden beneath his sweater in the last day of the 5th Test at the Oval. Woakes, who had had dislocated his shoulder while fielding in this match, received a standing ovation from the packed crowd and also was greeted by the Indian players in the crease in a show of sportsmanship. He was also the last man standing for England as India went on to take the win and tie the series 2-2.
