Gautam Gambhir, head coach of the Indian cricket team, broke into wild celebration in the dressing room when Mohammed Siraj sealed India’s victory with a sensational five-wicket haul on Day 5 at the Oval.
The emotional outburst from Gambhir suggested the immense pressure he was under, but later on, he was also spotted sharing a spirited high-five with England head coach Brendon McCullum.
It was a cathartic moment for the Indian camp as the Shubman Gill-led team eked out a stunning win, which helped them square the five-match series as England, chasing 374, were bowled out for 396.
The triumph also held a deeper meaning for Gambhir as the former opener was facing mounting criticism over team selection, strategy, and leadership following the first-ever home whitewash, a 3-0 loss to New Zealand last November and a bitter Border-Gavaskar Trophy defeat in Australia earlier this year.
Meanwhile, India won the fifth test from England by just six runs at the Oval after taking the last four wickets in a thrilling hour on Monday. India drew the series 2-2 with a test victory by its smallest ever margin on runs.
England began a drizzly morning needing 35 runs to reach the winning target of 374 and clinch the series 3-1. England had an entire fifth and final day to get there. But in a tension-filled 53 balls of action, Mohammed Siraj took three wickets to finish with five for the innings, and Prasidh Krishna took the other.
With England down to one wicket remaining, allrounder Chris Woakes came out to bat one-handed with a dislocated left shoulder and was greeted by a standing ovation from a sell-out Oval crowd. He was protected from facing a ball by Gus Atkinson but Atkinson couldn’t hold off Siraj and was the last man out, bowled under his attempted sweep by a Siraj full toss. England was all out for 367.