Moments which made ATT 2025 a really close fought series

ENG vs IND 2025: Key moments that made the ATT 2025 series a thrilling, neck-to-neck Test series.

There were several close moments during the seven weeks of the five-match Test series between England and India. On many occasions, whenever one team flew high, the other made a strong comeback to balance the flow. Both teams piled up huge scores on the board, despite going through lower-order collapses. On the other hand, both faced tough times with the ball in breaking partnerships. 

The same was true in the fielding department. India dropped several catches during the opening Test at Leeds. And as it generally happens, they ended up on the losing side. That was the same case with the hosts, who dropped centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal thrice in a short period in the fifth Test. These dropped catches certainly were not the only reasons for their defeat. However, they made a share contribution in ending the series on 2-2. 

Read More: ENG vs IND, 5th Test, Day 5: Siraj & Krishna run through England on final day; ATT 2025 drawn 2-2

Let’s take a look at a couple of moments which made the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy (ATT) 2025 a really close fought series:

Ravindra Jadeja’s fight during dramatic Lord’s Test 
The series was nicely poised at 1-1 coming into the third encounter at Lord’s. When the Ben Stokes-led side set a target of 193 runs in the fourth innings, many reckoned that the tourists wouldn’t have much of a problem. But they lost Yashasvi Jaiswal on the 10th ball of the chase and found themselves four down for 58 runs at stumps. 

Nightwatchman Akash Deep got out on what proved to be the last delivery of the fourth day. Stokes and the home side’s excitement was incredible on that note. It increased when Jofra Archer got two vital wickets of Washington Sundar and Rishabh Pant on the fifth morning. The England captain chipped in with KL Rahul’s wicket to nearly end India’s hope.

Read More: ENG vs IND, 2025, 3rd Test, Day 5: India’s tail wags but falls short of 193 target; England 2-1 up 

But that was the trend of the series. The Blue Brigade was almost down and out in the encounter after Nitish Reddy’s dismissal before the lunch break. But Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah seemed to come up with a plan in the second session. The latter was incredible in his defence of 54 balls for his five runs. But most importantly, they put up a stand of 35 runs, as the Southpaw opened his arms for the big shots. 

Stokes went through two ten-over spells on a hot day. Mohammed Siraj also supported Ravindra Jadeja well for his first 29 balls. But his dismissal was very unfortunate. He middled the Shoaib Bashir delivery before it drifted on the crease and rolled on to the stumps. It was also a lack of switch-on moment for the Hyderabad-born, who didn’t expect that to happen.

But that was enough for England to claim the 22-run win and go 2-1 up in the series. Stokes, drained from his magical work, led the side off the field while Siraj sat on the crease with disbelief. 

Read More: Why India should be thankful for having Ravindra Jadeja in their ranks

It’s not over until it’s over- Harry Brook and Mohammed Siraj’s same story at Kennington Oval 
Both Harry Brook and Siraj were at different ends of the quote- It’s not over until it’s over. Such was the case for both these players. When Siraj dropped the catch on the boundary line amidst the cheer of the home supporters, he hardly expected the next three hours. 

Brook, out of nowhere, started to go after all the visiting bowlers. Shubman Gill, the Indian captain, turned to spin to bandage the flow of runs. But nothing changed. Both Brook and Joe Root celebrated their respective centuries to put up a 195-run fourth-wicket stand in just 211 deliveries. India’s shoulders were dropping. But again, the game turned on its head, following its normal trend. 

Brook looked to slap Akash Deep over the covers, but could just slice it in the air. The bat flew off his hands into the leg side. Siraj, who dropped the Yorkshire batter on 19, moved his left at mid-off to complete the easy catch. Suddenly, there was a small meeting, as if they smelled the blood. 

Under overcast conditions with the artificial lights on, the ball was moving. Then came a rash shot from Jacob Bethell, who needlessly stepped out to smash through the cover. Once he missed the ball, he didn’t even look back to see the stumps rattled. And when Root nicked it to the wicket-keeper, India went wild as the crowd found its voice back. 

Root’s frustration, walking back to the dressing room, was an indication of what could happen. The umpires dragged the game into the fifth morning session. After two successive boundaries in the first two balls, one could easily predict a hard time for the two-time WTC runners-up. But Mohammed Siraj sent back both Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton in back-to-back overs. 

And then came the fairytale moment. On the third ball of his 186th over of the trip, Siraj nailed a yorker to Gus Atkinson, who failed to put bat on it. India earned their narrowest Test victory of six runs in terms of runs in their red-ball history and drew the series 2-2. 

When they landed in England nearly two months ago, under a new captain and in the absence of two veteran batters, many did not give them a chance. But they held their nerves in various close situations of the series and ended with a satisfying result. It could easily have been better. But it was phenomenal to draw the series from 2-1 position three weeks ago. 

Read More: ENG vs IND, 5th Test, Day 4: Root, Brook tons bring hosts close; late wickets keep India in the hunt