India-England players meet after fifth Test to celebrate rivalry; Joe Root offers words of wisdom: Report

After the fierce battles on the pitch ended, friendly chats took over as the England cricket team reportedly invited the Indian side for a meet and greet session at The Oval where players from both teams interacted and discussed different topics. read more

Joe Root was in demand as Indian batter queued up to learn the tricks of his success. Image: Reuters

The recently concluded thrilling India vs England Test series had its fair share of controversies over the five Test matches, but all is well that ends well. That is exactly what happened at the end of the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy as the hosts, the England cricket team, invited the Shubman Gill-led Indian team for a get-together after the series ended 2-2.

As per a report in the Indian Express, the meeting between England and India players took place at The Oval after the end of the fifth Test match that India won by six runs to draw the series 2-2. As has been the tradition in England, the two teams always end their series with a gathering where all the antics and banter from the matches are buried.

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India-England players share meet and greet at Oval

As per the details of the meeting between India and England players, the visiting team batters queued up to discuss and listen to Joe Root, who spoke about his Test batting that continues to get better with age. “He (Root) was asked how he has sustained top form for so long and many things about his batting,” an Indian team official told the Express.

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Reportedly, every Indian player also walked up to injured Chris Woakes and shared their admiration as the all-rounder walked out to bat on the final day with his left hand in a brace. The English players also enquired about Rishabh Pant, who missed the final Test, but gave his everything in the fourth Test at Manchester when he came out to bat with a fractured toe.

The India-England Tests series witnessed many highly charged moments, with one of the most memorable being Shubman Gill losing his cool on Zak Crawley after the England opener tried to delay the proceedings towards the end of Day 3 in the Lord’s Test.

The fourth Test witnessed the handshake drama as Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, who both were nearing their respective centuries, refused to shake hands with England captain Ben Stokes and accept the offer of a draw on Day 5. The Indian duo finally settled for a draw after completing their respective tons.

In the fifth Test too, we saw Prasidh Krishna getting involved in a verbal exchange with Joe Root, while Akash Deep’s send-off to Ben Duckett drew criticism. But what matters is that both teams have moved past any ill feelings and come together to enjoy their intense rivalry over 25 days of thrilling cricket.

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