India Won At The Oval (Source: @BCCI/X.com)
A series that turned out to be one of the most memorable ones for this new-look Indian side, however, the game celebrations were almost negligible. India won the fifth Test at The Oval by a bare margin of six runs, as they ended the series with a draw with England at 2-2.
Reason Revealed For No Major Celebrations
When the visiting Indian side looked down and out, the young brigade backed themselves and claimed an unlikely victory at the Oval in the fifth Test of the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, where the series ended at two each as neither side could gain the upper hand. However, for this young Indian side, even a draw seems like a massive win, as no one really backed them to achieve what they did.
With a series of this magnitude and the result that favoured them, this called for some major celebrations; however, the reality turned out to be absolutely different. Now, 24 hours after the end of the game, the real reason for their non-celebration of the game has been revealed. A BCCI source, on the condition of anonymity, spoke to the Press Trust of India (PTI), who mentioned the reason in their report.
"There were no celebrations last night. It has been a long and hectic series. The players spent time on their own or with families. Most of the players are heading back to India, some are heading elsewhere," said a BCCI source to PTI.
The fact is, most of the players, including one of the heroes of the series, Mohammed Siraj, were on an Emirates flight within a few hours after the dramatic finish of this long series, alongside a few members of the Indian side, as they travelled to Dubai and then moved on to their respective hometowns.
Currently, Siraj is in Dubai and will be taking the next flight to Hyderabad. Alongside Siraj, Arshdeep Singh and Shardul Thakur were also the ones who will now be heading home straight away.
Meanwhile, a few of the players have opted to stay in the UK to celebrate some time with their families, which calls for well-deserved personal family time after being away from them for a very long time, due to the BCCI's (Board of Control for Cricket in India) policies.
A few hours after the finale, Arshdeep and Prasidh Krishna were seen spending time with their families, as the former has now moved back home.
Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav, who didn't get a game alongside Arshdeep, was seen spending some time with former Indian cricketer, Piyush Chawla, who was in the UK for the recently concluded World Championship of Legends (WCL).
Players Opted To Stay With Their Families
Moreover, star Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who was released from the squad during the fifth Test, as he did not participate due to workload management, chose to stay in the UK to spend time with his family.
With some players leaving and others choosing to spend time with their families, the Indian players did not get time for celebration, as a few had flights and the others just wanted to move somewhere else.
Considering all the factors, this series was of high magnitude, as, without Indian stalwarts Ravichandran Ashwin, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma, India still managed to stay alive in the series, as they prevented a serious defeat in England by adopting a positive approach. The next match for the Indian side will be in a month in the Asia Cup, which is set to be played in the UAE in September.