Now on, this team will be the coolest act in town

When on Sunday night did you think India could level the series against England?

- Sharda Ugra

Okay, for sure not at tea time but the fall of Harry Brook’s wicket, surely? Not because of his extravagant dismissal but what it did to the incoming batsmen. Or rather what India did to them. Over the last two hours of the series, the Indians sighted the opening, then imagined the magic and went about manifesting it. From 301-3, with 73 runs to play for, India pulled not rabbits but an entire menagerie out of their pockets and had it run amok over England’s plans.

If you were looking for fantastic cricketing beasts and wondering where to find them, the Oval on Monday was it.

That ‘thankyavermuch’ finale brought to a close this showstopper of an India v England Test series of the kind that has not been seen for oh, let’s say, as long as some of us can remember. Yes, some of the game's biggest names from both countries have put in heavy shifts and produced exceptional displays over the decades, but 2025 will always be a history-marker in Indian cricket.

Its reasons are simple but the ending seals it: A match and a series win was snatched out of England’s grasp with India pulling off its narrowest Test victory (by runs). Everything hinged on those last final hours of a series that had gone the distance in every single match, A relatively inexperienced team held their nerve in a high-pressure situation — in Test cricket, an unusual occurrence because after 25 days of gruelling cricket, the bets are on the most seasoned rather than the least to pull through.