"Indian cricket is far ahead of the rest" - Sourav Ganguly hails Oval victory
Former Indian captain and current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has reckoned that Indian cricket is far ahead of the rest because of its ability to absorb pressure.
Ganguly took to his official Twitter account in the immediate aftermath of an enthralling 'come from behind' win by Virat Kohli's men on an absorbing fifth day of the Oval Test on Monday. He wrote:
"Great show ..The skill is the difference, but the biggest difference is the absorbing power of pressure..Indian cricket is far ahead then the rest @BCCI,''
Team India added yet another chapter to their long list of 'come from behind' wins as they overturned a 99-run first-innings deficit to script a 157-run win.
The win was set up by Shardul Thakur's twin half-centuries and a dominant batting performance led by centurion Rohit Sharma. But the final nail in the England's coffin was driven by the bowling unit spearheaded by Jaspit Bumrah on a docile fifth-day track.
Bumrah's reverse-swing masterclass helps India write yet another glorious chapter in their Test history
Chasing 367, England were in a decent position at lunch, reaching 131-2. However, a peach of a delivery by Ravindra Jadeja to dismiss Haseeb Hameed after the lunch break gave the tourists an opening.
Jasprit Bumrah then scythed through the English middle order. He produced a spell for the ages, outfoxing Ollie Pope with a nip-backer before flattening Jonny Bairstow's stumps with a pinpoint reverse-swinging yorker.
Jadeja chipped in by removing Moeen Ali at the other end. By the time Shardul Thakur returned to dismiss Joe Root later in the session, the fate of the game was already sealed.
Umesh Yadav then wiped out the tail either side of the tea break to hand the tourists a well-deserved win. This is not the first time the current Indian team seemingly rose from the dead. The tourists have made a habit of it in recent times.
Team India bounced back brilliantly post the shambles of 36/9 at the Adelaide Oval. The visitors, missing a plethora of first-team players, sealed a memorable 2-1 series triumph, winning in Melbourne and Brisbane.
The Virat Kohli-led unit then overcame a reverse in the first Test against England in Chennai earlier this year by winning the next three matches. The current series has seen Team India win at Lord's and now at The Oval.
Team India have now ensured they will leave England without a Test series defeat for the first time since the summer of 2007. But the visitors will hope to avoid defeat at Old Trafford to take home the 'Patuadi Trophy' for the first time in more than a decade.