England-India Test series best since 2005 Ashes – Agnew

Since the Ashes in 2005, this matchup between England and India has unquestionably been my best experience.

The intensity, the combative nature of the 2010 and 2010 Australian Test match matches, as well as the incredible skill, made this sport so unique.

It has everything, and it’s been just as compelling and entertaining as any Ashes series.

Although England supporters would have preferred Gus Atkinson to have scored those runs, even just six more in a tie, is a fantastic thing for Test cricket to have a finish like that regardless of who wins.

I thoroughly enjoyed the competitive atmosphere of Test cricket.

In franchise cricket or the T20, it is absent. You can tell the difference between playing for your country and the people who care about playing for your country in the test.

The 7 187 runs scored in the series’ five-test matches are the most of any, and this is only the second time in the last 20 years that they have all had final days.

The Oval had a sellout on day five, which was fantastic. We had the fourth day of our trip on a Sunday.

And this morning, Chris Woakes was merely watching him hobbling down those steps at number eleven.

In 1963, Colin Cowdrey batted with a broken arm, but Paul Terry did it in 1984 when he faced West Indies with his arm in a sling.

I’m not sure how India would have bowled to him, so it was a relief that Woakes managed to stay at the non-striker’s end.

England should be winning if you go back to crucial points in this match, especially when seven wickets are required and 73 runs are needed.

Harry Brook’s dismissal will be discussed, and I’ll be the one who asks, “Really, was that necessary?” You win the game with a very hard-nosed professional attitude and a game that is only yours to have in your grasp.

With such incredible 195-run partnership, Joe Root and Brook had just taken the win.

However, an old-timer shrugs his shoulders and says “fair enough” when speaking to Michael Vaughan and Sir Alastair Cook, who have scored far more Test runs than I have, and says they are okay with it.

Because of Root’s quiet, professional approach, Brook was the only player who could have seized the game.

My initial concern was that if things didn’t go well, England’s carefully considered plans for Australia might be in chaos and you wouldn’t know what to do next.

But that is entirely different. For the first Test in Perth, we have been deciding who will start, and it is essentially the same as when we sat down in May and put the same question in our minds.

That is such a positive place to be; it sends a strong message to Australia.

However, India has done a remarkable job. They did not assist themselves in the selection process, but they still prevailed.

They have shown incredible resilience in the second innings, when they were 0-2 in Manchester at the start of their campaign.

Although Shubman Gill is very laid-back in person, he also has a steely side. He reminds me of David Gower.

They appear to have great spirits, and he will gain a lot from this experience.