India lead in the 5-match Test Series against England by winning 2 of the 4-matches played and drawing the 1st match, that was held between 4th August and 6th September 2021, in England. The Fifth match of the series was cancelled due to COVID-19 outbreak among 4 of the Indian crew members.
i.At the end of the 4th Test match, the Indian team moved up to the 1st position in the ICC World Test Championship 2021-2023, replacing Pakistan from the top position.
ii.During the Test Series, India was aiming for an historic victory against England. As India won a Test series against England in England only on 3 occasions – 1971, 1986 and 2007.
Result of Test Series:
Both India & England were not in a position to find an outcome for the result of the 5th match, which could lead to a loss of 40 million pounds for England, if results favoured India.
i.The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) called for the International Cricket Council (ICC) to resolve the dispute of the 5th match.
Possible outcomes:
- Test match abandoned – India wins the Series
- Match Forfeiture as per DRC ruling – Series leveled with 2-2
ii.Previously, 4 Indian Crew members – Ravi Shastri (Head Coach), Bharat Arun (Bowling Coach), Ramakrishnan Sridhar (Fielding Coach) & Yogesh Parmar (Physiotherapist) were tested COVID-19 positive.
Virat Kohli – Fastest Cricketer to reach 23,000 International runs
During the Test series, Virat Kohli broke the long-standing record of Sachin Tendulkar to become the fastest to score 23,000 international runs in Cricket.
- Virat Kohli took an overall 490 innings to reach the milestone, while Sachin reached the landmark in 522 innings.
- His 23,000 runs came from 13,646 runs in 96 Tests, 13,061 runs in 254 ODIs and 2272 runs from 89 T20 Internationals, with an average of over 50 in all three formats.
Jasprit Bumrah becomes Fastest Indian to take 100 Test wickets
During the 4th Test, Indian fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah became the fastest Indian bowler to take 100 test wickets. He achieved this in just 24 games, surpassing Kapil Dev, who reached the mark in 25 Test matches.
- Other Indian bowlers to reach the fastest 100 Test wickets are Irfan Pathan (28 Tests) & Mohammad Shami (29 Tests).
ICC Test Batsman Ranking – Rohit Sharma 5th Spot, Joe Root move to Top spot
In the September 2021 ranking for Test Batsman, ICC has ranked India’s Rohit Sharma in the 5th spot pushing Virat Kohli to the 6th position. While the England captain Joe Root was placed at the Top spot.
- Notably, Rohit Sharma has made his 1st Test Century outside India, during the test series.
- While England’s Joe Root scored 564 runs at an average of 94, including three hundred, in the Test Series.
Note – ICC has also named ‘Joe Root’ as the ‘Player of the Month for August 2021’
KL Rahul – 1st Indian Opener to score Test Hundred in Lord’s in 31 years
During the Test Series, Indian opening batsman KL Rahul scored a Test century during the Lord’s Test to become the 1st Indian Opener to score a Test hundred in Lord’s in the last 31-years.
- The last Test hundred by an Indian opener at Lord’s was hit by Ravi Shastri in 1990.
MS Dhoni to mentor India’s T20 World Cup Squad
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed former Indian Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the mentor of India’s 15-member T20 World Cup squad, which is set to play in the ICC T20 World Cup that is set to start on October 17 at UAE and Oman.
- MS Dhoni captained the Indian team that won 2-world titles – 2007 T20 World Cup & 2011 ODI World Cup
IND vs ENG Test series venues
- Trent Bridge, Nottingham
- Lord’s cricket ground, London
- Leeds, England
- The Oval, London
Recent Related News:
i.In March 2021, Ravichandran Ashwin became the 1st Bowler in Test Cricket to take 200 wickets against left-handed batsmen, he is also the 2nd Fastest Bowler (only after Muttiah Muralitharan) to take 400 Test Wickets.
ii.New Zealand defeated India to win the inaugural ICC World Test Championship 2021, the finals were held at Southampton, England.
About International Cricket Council (ICC):
Chairman – Greg Barclay (New Zealand)
Headquarters – Dubai, UAE
About the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI):
President – Sourav Ganguly
Secretary – Jay Shah
Headquarters – Wankhede stadium, Mumbai, Maharashtra
