India’s thrilling five-run victory over England at the Oval sealed a dramatic 2-2 Test series draw, with Mohammed Siraj emerging as the hero in a nail-biting finale. England needed just 35 runs with four wickets in hand on the last day but crumbled under immense pressure as Siraj dismantled their lineup, claiming three wickets for nine runs on the morning to finish with impressive innings figures of 5/104.
Reflecting on the tense conclusion, Karun Nair spoke to ESPNcricinfo, revealing that, unlike typical jubilations after such intense wins, the Indian team visited the English dressing room after the final Test showdown.
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"Not really. We didn't overdo anything," Nair said when asked about the celebrations in the dressing room after the match, before revealing that the side visited the English dressing room.
"We had a good chat, both teams were respectful of the fact that it was a great series," Nair said.
The Indian batter also reacted to England's head coach Brendon McCullum labelling the five-Test series as the “greatest” in recent memory.
{{/usCountry}}The Indian batter also reacted to England's head coach Brendon McCullum labelling the five-Test series as the “greatest” in recent memory.
{{/usCountry}}"Brendon McCullum mentioned it was the greatest Test series to be played in recent memory. As players, we didn't feel the magnitude of it during the matches, but looking back at how the moments panned out, as a group, we feel we achieved something special," said Nair.
A mixed outing
Karun Nair had a bittersweet outing in England. While he came back to the Indian Test team after eight years on the back of solid performances in the domestic circuit, Nair failed to replicate a similar consistency on English soil. While he did get strong starts to his innings more often than not, the conversion remained an issue.
It also led to him being dropped for the fourth Test before Rishabh Pant's injury forced a change in combination, bringing him back for the fifth. It was then, when Nair played a crucial 57-run knock in the first innings that helped India put a competitive 224-run score.
India don't play a Test series until October when West Indies visit the country for two matches. While Nair didn't live up to the expectations, the key knock in the final Test might have just raised hopes to retain his place in the squad.