India clinched a thrilling six-run victory at The Oval to level the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-2 against England. But despite the high-stakes drama, the spotlight quickly shifted as Anderson and Tendulkar were not present during the post-match presentation.
Named in honor of the two cricket legends, the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy ended without their appearance, raising questions among fans and viewers.
Legends Missing, ECB Offers No Explanation
Neither James Anderson nor Sachin Tendulkar turned up to award the trophy after the gripping Test match. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has remained silent about the unexpected absence.
This year marked the official replacement of the historic Pataudi Trophy with the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. While both legends appeared at the launch in June, they were not seen at the final ceremony.
Also missing was a representative from the family of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. No one was present to deliver the traditional Pataudi medal to captains Shubman Gill and Ben Stokes.
The Pataudi Trophy had been part of the England-India Test series since 2007. The late Pataudi himself handed the inaugural medal to Rahul Dravid after India’s series win.
Siraj’s Match-Winning Spell Steals the Show
Though the trophy drama made headlines, the match was a thriller. England needed just 35 runs on the final day, with four wickets in hand.
Jamie Overton hit two early boundaries, trimming the target to 27. But Mohammed Siraj stepped up and picked three wickets to lead India’s charge.
He ended the match with a five-wicket haul and finished as the series’ top wicket-taker with 23 dismissals. Siraj bowled a deadly yorker to remove Gus Atkinson, sealing the win.
“I thought the match was gone. Had we got Harry Brook out before lunch, things would have been different. There would have been no fifth day. That was a game-changing moment. But we came back strongly after that,” said Siraj.”When I woke up this morning, I told myself I would change the game. I opened Google, downloaded a ‘believe’ image and put that as my phone wallpaper,” he added.
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