New Delhi: The final day of the fifth India–England Test turned into a nerve-jangling thriller, with India snatching victory by just six runs — the narrowest margin in the team’s Test history. Defending 35 runs with four wickets to take, India’s pace duo Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj produced a sensational spell, bundling out England in under an hour and levelling the series 2–2.
The win was all the more remarkable as India were without senior stalwarts Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Jasprit Bumrah.
But behind the scenes, there was an added twist. According to a Dainik Jagran report quoting team sources, ICC match referee Jeff Crowe had warned India before play began that their slow over-rate — behind by six overs — could result in a four-point deduction in the World Test Championship (WTC). The message was clear: either wrap up the England innings quickly or improve the over-rate to avoid the penalty.
In a team huddle involving head coach Gautam Gambhir, assistant coach Sitanshu Kotak, and Shubman Gill, one suggestion was to use spinners from both ends to speed up overs. Gambhir, however, insisted on prioritising victory over WTC points risk, backing his pacers to finish the job.
His call paid off — Krishna and Siraj tore through the tail, sealing the win without India incurring any penalty.
The result kept India third in the WTC standings, behind Australia and Sri Lanka, as the race for a top-two finish and a spot in the 2025–27 WTC Final heats up.
