England won by 118 runs
PLAYER OF THE MATCH : Sir Alastair Cook
Batter
Bowler
Both skippers were vocal about this series being a perfect advertisement for Test cricket. And they were dead right. This series swung like a randomly oscillating pendulum and England ensured they pipped India at regular intervals to take the series 4-1. About today, it looked like Rahul and Pant wanted to be uninvited guests at Cook's farewell party but just as when it looked they will gate-crash it, the fun ended with Rashid's massive leg break. Anderson also etched his name into the history books by becoming the fourth highest wicket-taker by pipping McGrath. It has been a long English summer and on behalf of our team of Vineet Anantharaman, Varun Dikshit, Pradeep Krishnamurthy, Shashikant Singh and many others who have typed tooth and nail to bring to you this spectacle, this is Kumar Abhisekh Das signing off. Tadaa!
Harsha Bhogle: There is no room for "what if" in sport. India had their moments but the scorecards say 4-1 and India weren't as good as they should have been. This is two overseas disappointments in a row now.
Joe Root being champagned out by his mates as he holds the Trophy aloft. This party will continue for a long long time tonight and may be tomorrow.
----------
Stats round-up courtesy Deepu Narayanan
** Most wickets by pacers in Tests:
564 JAMES ANDERSON
563 Glenn McGrath
519 Courtney Walsh
434 Kapil Dev
433 Stuart Broad
431 Richard Hadlee
** India losing four Tests in a series:
0-4 in Aus, 1947/48
0-5 in Eng, 1959
0-5 in WI, 1961/62
0-4 in Aus, 1967/68
0-4 in Aus 1991/92
0-4 in Eng, 2011
0-4 in Aus, 2011/12
1-4 in Eng, 2018
** Man of the Match in last Test:
Ian Redpath
Greg Chappell
Sarfraz Nawaz
Sunil Gavaskar
Murray Goodwin
Jason Gillespie
Shane Bond
Alastair Cook
------------
Joe Root: Very gratifying. It has been a very tough series. India have played some exceptional cricket. And it has been some special stuff from our guys as well. Everyone watching would have been thrilled as well. It shows Test cricket is still in a good place. There were a few nerves. India batted really well to get into that position in the final session. So, credit to India for batting well and to our lads for performing in the manner like we did in the end. I mean Alastair has been such an exceptional player for such a long time. He has been a huge part of our dressing room, the way he goes about things and the way he sets up standards. I thought the reception he has had over this Test has been fitting. Jimmy has a lot left, I am sure. To achieve what he has is unbelievable. He has been bowling as well as he ever has. Hopefully, he can continue for many more years. We are growing all the time as a team. We have got some good experienced players who have done well. Some young guys have stood up and performed. We have a lot of learning to do to reach where we want to.
Now, the English players getting their medals. The first one was Alastair Cook and was greeted with a thunderous applause and so was James Anderson, who got his at the end of the line. Joe Root poses with the winners' trophy.
Virat Kohli, (2/2): We did not take our opportunities. England also don't go for draws and they played fearless cricket and so did we. You will have competitive series'. That is why you won't see draws in these kind of series'. We have not been outplayed barring Lords. We can take a lot of heart from this but need to apply ourselves better the next time around. There is a reason why we voted Sam (Curran) to be the Man of the series. He has made significant contributions. It takes character to come in and play like that. He put England in front in the 1st and 4th Test match. There should be exciting pitches all over world. I don't believe in playing safe cricket after taking a lead in the series. The fans will come and watch if both teams play for a win. Just one word for Alastair Cook. You have had a great career. I wish you well and congratulate you for what you have done. All the best for all your future endeavors.
Virat Kohli (1/2): I think a lot of credit has to go to the two young guys. Stepping up at such a crucial juncture with three wickets down for just two runs was really good. The kind of cricket we have played might not show on the scorecard. But both the teams know this series has been a competitive one. It has taken a lot out of both the sides and something that we have enjoyed. We have taken on the challenge head on and today was a case of two guys not giving up. And they actually entertained the crowd. Probably, this is the revival of Test cricket. This has been a great advertisement for Test cricket. To be brutally honest, we did not talk about whether we will win this game or not. The basic idea was to go out there and play the cricket we are known to play. When those two guys (Rahul and Pant) started hitting the ball, we thought there might be hope. There were overs left and both those guys were scoring freely. We know England are a professional side and we were just waiting and watching. Things can change in Test cricket and we realized that as the game changed within two-three overs. And that is the beauty of the format. But it takes nothing away from the two guys. Pant showed a lot of grit and character. We have character in the team and we just need some experience to close out games. I was thinking when I was watching him (Pant), when you get into a zone and when you are not thinking about the result, things go your way. It was just a great preview of what is in store for him individually and for Indian cricket. I am delighted for both the guys and it speaks of India's future. There will be some things that we will sit down and discuss.
Virat Kohli, India's Man of the Series. He will talk later after the Indian players receive their medals. Dhawan was the first one to collect and he had a wry smile on his face while picking the medal up.
Sam Curran, England's Man of the Series: It is just nice to be involved in such a great series. It came off luckily. To win the series and send off Cookie, it is perfect. I was trying to keep it as natural as I can. Playing with the likes of Broady, Jimmy and Stokes, It has been a great learning curve. For Jimmy to go past the record was pretty awesome for me to see it. I have grown up watching them play and now playing with them has been pretty cool. I think consistency is the main thing. If you look at the stats of Jimmy and Cookie, they are very impressive. Don't want to look too far ahead. It is like if you can do it once, you have the belief that you can do it again. Hopefully, I can keep contributing. Missing out on the third game and then coming back to contribute was a great thing for me. As I said, I will take one game at a time.
Alastair Cook, Man of the Match in his final Test: It has been the most amazing week. One you couldn't be able to script. Got a text from Beefy (Ian Botham) and he said 'Can I have your script writer?' It is great to be contributing to a series win. The game going into the last session with all the three results possible was a great advert for Test cricket. The memories shared with my team is what I'll miss the most. Some very good moments. Today it showed how tough Test cricket can be. I leave with great memories. I have been very privileged to have worn the cap for as long as I have. To see Jimmy go past Glenn McGrath was brilliant. Him and Broady are the ones that I have played most cricket with. To make the decision that I won't be standing at slips and dropping catches off their bowling has been tough (chuckles). Just has been a privilege to have played with England's greatest cricketer (Anderson). No disrespect to any other cricketer. He (Anderson) almost takes it for granted that he will hit the length from ball one. It is fitting that he got the last wicket, to knock out the middle-stump and win the series for us. The pressure that you go through, I won't miss that. You miss all the highs. I would miss playing for this team. Not a chance, this week can't be beaten (when asked if there was a chance he could make a comeback next Ashes if the series was on the line). I can walk away with my head held high and I have always wanted to do that.
Time for the presentations.
That moment when both Cook and Anderson wanted the other to lead the men off the field is what makes cricket such a beautiful sport. The words from Anderson and him choking with emotions tells us about the camaraderie and respect that the two legends have between them. The cricketing fraternity will be poor without you - Mr. Cook! Not much changed in Cook's cricketing demeanour throughout. He emerged as the blue-eyed boy in English cricket in the early 2000s and has gone on to become one of the greatest to have donned the English jersey.
------
Final Test was all about giving farewell to Cook. He scored a ton in his final Test innings to sign off in style. KL Rahul and Rishab Pant threatened to do a miracle on the final day but just when the pendulum was swinging India's way, England fought back to win at the OVAL and win the series 4-1. The scoreline doesn't reflect how close the series actually was. England nailed the vital moments, India couldn't and that really summarizes the entire series.
When one would have thought, 5-0 is on the cards, Virat Kohli and co. came storming back at the Trent Bridge. Hardik Pandya's five-wicket-haul and Indian captain's second ton of the series steered India to a memorable victory. At the Rose Bowl, Moeen Ali made a stunning come back to the Test cricket and played a stellar role in a close victory.
Who says Test cricket is on a death bed? Over the course of this series, these two teams have proved that when quality players are on the field, and conditions are cricket friendly, it is the most wonderful spectacle one can ask for. Let's summarize the series: On all the five venues, grass was as long as 8 mm, even longer than that at times. And along the expected lines, the new Dukes ball as well as the old dukes deviated extravagantly off the deck. Virat Kohli demolished the demons of 2014 tour with a magnificent hundred at Edgbaston but failed to steer his team home on the final day. England got the best of conditions in the second Test and they utilized it to the fullest, thumping India to win comprehensively.
------
James Anderson (teary-eyed): Happy to see that Cookie was on the field to see that wicket. I am happy to win the game. When they were building a partnership, I think it looked that they will get close. My job was to hold an end. I was going through good rhythm and thankfully Joe let me take the new ball. And eventually, it gave me half-a-chance to get that wicket. On Cook, yes, he is my best mate and I am going to miss him. He has been brilliant and has been there for me all the time.