Not Shubman Gill or Mohammed Siraj! Young India star wins Impact Player of the Series medal
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Not India's highest scorer, Shubman Gill, or the highest wicket-taker, Mohammed Siraj, the Indian dressing room acknowledged young all-rounder Washington Sundar as the impact player in the India vs England series.
India pulled off a stunning draw after the India vs England 5-match Test series, as they ended the series with a 2-2 scoreline after their historic win at The Oval. From an unexpected condition, when England needed just 35 runs on the final Day of the play, with 4 wickets in hand, Indian bowler Mohammed Siraj's special spell restricted the hosts to just 367, as the Men in Blue caps won the game by a close margin of 6 runs.
For India, several players have contributed with the bat, as India scored a record number of runs in the series, showing some promising batting performances. The bowlers also did a fairly good job; however, above all, the impact player has been awarded to a player who showcased all-round brilliance.
Who wins India's Impact Player medal—NOT Shubman Gill or Mohammed Siraj?
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Indian bowler Mohammed Siraj was named the Player of the Match after his splendid spell on the final day of the Oval Test. After that, Brendon McCullum, the English coach, acknowledged Indian skipper Shubman Gill as India's player of the series.
However, from India's point of view, when the Indian management was to cite a player who had the most promising impact in the series, they considered giving it to the young and dynamic all-rounder Washington Sundar.
Sundar was not part of the Indian team in the first Test at Headingley but was brought in as a replacement for Shardul Thakur in the second Test match at Edgbaston. Since then, he has played every Test till the Oval for India.
Sundar was one of the anchors of India's strengthened batting down the order, as he batted at no. 7 or 8 on most occasions. He has played in 8 innings and scored 284 runs in the series with an average of 47.33 and a hundred as well as a fifty. Washington Sundar also picked 7 wickets in the series as well, of which 4 came in a stunning bowling effort at the Lord's.
His partner in batting as well as in the Indian spin department, Ravindra Jadeja, was spotted handing him the impact player medal in the dressing room.
India's Batting performance in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy
With the initiation of a new World Test Championship cycle in 2025, India has made subtle changes to their side, the biggest among them being Shubman Gill being named as the skipper of the Indian side.
India missed the services of two of their most veteran batters, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, in England; however, the remaining batters in the side have not let the Indian fans feel their void.
Shubman Gill, the skipper, led by example with 754 runs at an average of 75.40 and 4 big hundreds in the series. He is followed by KL Rahul, who also scored 532 runs at an average of 53.32 and scored 2 big hundreds as well.
Ravindra Jadeja's batting masterclass was a new addition to the Indian lineup, as he amassed 516 runs batting down the order with an average of 86, one hundred and five half-centuries in the series. Rishabh Pant was the other batter with some great batting form, as he scored 479 runs in 7 innings and scored 2 big hundreds and 3 half centuries to add to his glory.
Indian bowlers' roller-coaster series in England
Indian bowlers might not have had the best of the series against England, but they have made it count on every occasion they have had some chance to exert pressure on the English batsmen.
Indian bowler Mohammed Siraj is so far the highest wicket-taker in this WTC with 23 wickets, while Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna both ended the series with 14 wickets each. Bumrah bowled in 5 innings, while Kirshna bowled in all 6 innings and played a vital role in India's victory at The Oval.
Akash Deep also picked 13 wickets in the 3 matches he played for India, with a 10-wicket haul at Edgbaston.
Tagged:
India National Cricket Team England National Cricket Team India vs England Shubman Gill Mohammed Siraj Washington Sundar Ravindra Jadeja KL Rahul Rishabh Pant Yashasvi Jaiswal
