A team official told The Indian Express that while every Indian walked up to Chris Woakes who came to bat with a hand in a brace, admiring him for his courage, several English cricketers asked after how Rishabh Pant had been doing, given his broken toe. (PTI Photo)
Acrimony followed the sensationally concluded India-England Test series at every juncture, but the fellowship of cricket suffering never got eroded. Battered, bruised bodies and satisfied souls of fighting cricketers from both the Indian and England teams assembled on Monday, to end the series on a note of mutual respect and bonhomie. A memorable series where banter got bruising but not brutal, received a calm debriefing as war wounds were bandaged.
The English team invited the Indians over for the customary end-of-series tradition after the 2-2 parity was reached. They might have been involved in fierce fights, not ceding an inch but once The Oval emptied out, it was scenes of camaraderie and asking after the well-being of the wounded.
A team official told The Indian Express that while every Indian walked up to Chris Woakes who came to bat with a hand in a brace, admiring him for his courage, several English cricketers asked after how Rishabh Pant had been doing, given his broken toe. Both sides had given the world iconic images of broken warriors walking out to play their designated role, something that was appreciated most by the opposition.
The meet and greet also saw India’s young batsmen queue up and listen with wide attention to Joe Root talk about how his batting keeps getting better by the day. “He was asked how he has sustained top form for so long and many things about his batting,” the team official narrated.
English cricket, even when clubs or counties play, wraps up proceedings with both dressing rooms converging for a common limbering down of emotional intensity. And after battling for 25 days, the two teams ensured that all Day 5 wrinkles were neatly ironed out exchanging warm respect.
The day’s hero, and a rather popular figure even amongst opponents, Mohammed Siraj was the life of the after-party, and all controversies and grudges got buried with the final meet-up before the Indians flew out on Tuesday.
The rivalry – though incidents keep cropping up – isn’t particularly bitter to start with, and through the series, even as the world thought controversies would brim over, both sets of cricketers have professionally left events on the field.
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So even as Ben Stokes said nobody from either side was losing sleep over what was said, Prasidh Krishna who had a go at Root, clarified that the batsman was an ultimate legend, and no one could really hold onto any ill-will towards him. Similarly though Siraj’s fiery eyes would light up several times in follow up, Root had maintained that his “fake angriness”, as hard as he tried, was never viewed as anything but a passionate performance by the English.
India’s mild-mannered captain Shubman Gill isn’t prone to trash talking anyway, and those like Yashasvi Jaiswal have even spent days picking the brains of Joe Root during the IPL gig at Rajasthan Royals. Gautam Gambhir and Brendon McCullum have both been massive figures at Kolkata Knight Riders, and the two teams though hosting some fiery characters, ensured they ended the memorable series on a note of friendship with a higher echelon of respect for the show they put up for the world. It was the next best thing to fairytale endings – 2-2, and two sets of happy cricketers who left it all out there and then enjoyed each other’s company.
Sandeep Dwivedi is the Sports Editor at The Indian Express. He is one of India's most prominent sports journalists, known for his deep analytical insights and storytelling that often goes beyond scores and statistics to explore the human and cultural side of sports.
Professional Profile
Role: As the Sports Editor, he leads the sports coverage for the newspaper and the website.
Weekly Column: He writes "The Sports Column," a weekly feature where he provides sharp, narrative-driven perspectives on the biggest sporting news of the week.
Podcast: He is a frequent contributor to the "Express Sports" podcast (Game Time), where he discusses evolving trends in cricket and other international sports.
Areas of Expertise
While Dwivedi covers the entire sporting spectrum, his work is particularly noted in the following areas:
Cricket: He provides extensive coverage of the Indian National Team and the IPL. He frequently analyzes the leadership styles of figures like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Gautam Gambhir. He is known for tracking the transition phases of Indian cricket and the evolution of specific players like Kuldeep Yadav and Rishabh Pant.
Athletics & Olympic Sports: He has written extensively on Neeraj Chopra’s rise in javelin, the nuances of Indian shooting, and tennis legends like Sania Mirza and Leander Paes.
Human Interest Stories: A hallmark of his writing is his focus on the struggles and backgrounds of athletes, such as the sacrifices made by Shafali Verma’s father or the "silent battles" of veteran players like Cheteshwar Pujara.
Notable Recent Work & Themes
Leadership and Dynamics: Recently, he has written about the dynamic between Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma, arguing that personal friendship is not a prerequisite for team success.
Sports & Culture: His articles often intersect with global culture, such as his deep dive into the 100-year legacy of the Harlem Globetrotters and their role as American soft power during the Cold War.
The "Grey Areas" of Sport: He often addresses sensitive topics like the mental health of cricketers post-retirement, the "outrage industry" in sports broadcasting, and the impact of fan-wars on the game.
Tenure and Experience
Dwivedi has been with The Indian Express for over three decades. This experience allows him to provide historical context to modern sporting events, often comparing current crises or triumphs to those of previous generations.
You can follow his latest work and columns on his official Indian Express Author Profile. ... Read More
