Before India retaliated at Edgbaston, the series began with India’s Test vice-captain Rishabh Pant hitting two hundreds in a losing cause as England pursued their second-highest total in Test history.
The game was close at Lord’s, with Ravindra Jadeja’s tenacious knock almost securing an Indian victory against England. However, England was still able to win by 22 runs.
When Pant broke his toe, India faced a possible setback as they trailed 2-1 in the series, but he came back to the crease to produce a tough half-century. India put up a strong fight to draw the match.
India stepped up as the series final at The Oval drew near, putting on an outstanding display that tore through England’s batting order and claimed six wickets for a mere 35 runs in the chase.
Both teams were commended by a number of former cricket players for their outstanding bravery and talent in all five Test matches. Former England captain Nasser Hussain asked Atherton whether the series was the greatest or perhaps surpassed the legendary 2005 Ashes in his retrospective.
The quality wasn’t as fantastic as it was in 2005, in my opinion. The 2005 Ashes series is the best I’ve watched, I believe. Speaking on Sky Sports, Atherton said, “It was a fantastic team on the decline and the emerging team, absolutely great players at the top of their game.”
However, it was most likely the greatest series since 2005. The 2023 Ashes was amazing, but because of those dramatic moments like Woakes and Rishabh Pant, I’ll rank this series as the finest since 2005,” Atherton said. Australia failed to muster a victory to secure a tie in the last Test at the Oval, and England won the series 2-1.
