One year ago today, on August 4, 2025, India produced one of the greatest escapes in Test cricket history, defeating England by just six runs at The Oval to level the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-2.
With England needing only 35 more runs on the final morning and holding four wickets in hand, the hosts appeared favourites to complete the chase of 374. Instead, Mohammed Siraj delivered a spell that has since become part of Indian cricket folklore.
A morning that changed everything
Heavy cloud cover greeted both teams on the fifth morning in London, and Siraj immediately found reverse swing with the old ball.
India’s bowlers, led by Siraj, turned the game around in just 56 minutes as England collapsed from 339/6 to 367 all out, losing their final four wickets for only 28 runs.
Siraj finished with 5/104 in the innings, including a devastating burst of 3/9 on the final morning, before ending the match by clean bowling Gus Atkinson with a searing yorker that sent India’s players sprinting in celebration.
It remains India’s narrowest-ever Test victory by runs.
Siraj’s defining series
The Hyderabad pacer was India’s standout bowler throughout the five-match series.
He finished with 23 wickets, the most by any bowler in the contest, while his nine wickets across the Oval Test proved decisive in preventing what had looked like an inevitable England victory.
His relentless workload-185.3 overs across the series-earned him the Player of the Match award in the deciding Test.
Gill’s dream captaincy debut
While Siraj sealed the series, captain Shubman Gill dominated it with the bat.
Gill scored a series-leading 754 runs, including four centuries and a record-breaking 269 at Edgbaston, becoming the first Indian captain to score more than 700 runs in an away Test series.
His marathon innings also surpassed Virat Kohli’s previous record for the highest Test score by an Indian captain.
Gill was named Player of the Series alongside England’s Harry Brook after leading India to a memorable comeback.
India’s batting dominated
India occupied four of the top five run-scoring positions in the series.
- Shubman Gill – 754 runs
- Joe Root- 537 runs
- KL Rahul – 532 runs
- Ravindra Jadeja- 516 runs
- Rishabh Pant – 479 runs
Rahul provided consistency at the top of the order throughout the tour, while Jadeja’s lower-order contributions repeatedly rescued India in difficult situations. Pant also enjoyed another memorable English summer, becoming the first visiting wicketkeeper to cross 1,000 Test runs in England.
A series-saving victory
The Oval win meant far more than just a single Test.
India entered the match needing victory to avoid losing the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. By defending 373, they secured a dramatic 2-2 draw in the series after five weeks of fiercely contested cricket.
The result also marked one of the defining moments of India’s new Test era under Gill, who impressed in his first major overseas assignment as captain.
Why fans still remember it
The match has become synonymous with one unforgettable final morning.
England required only 35 runs. India needed four wickets.
Against the odds, Siraj produced one of the finest spells of his career, ending the contest with a thunderbolt that uprooted Gus Atkinson’s stumps and sparked wild celebrations.
Twelve months later, the six-run victory remains one of the most dramatic finishes in Indian Test history-and one of Mohammed Siraj’s greatest performances in the whites.