England save third Test, but India win series 1-0

On Monday evening, at the end of a day of murkiness, sunshine and no raindrops, England were bathing in a sense of satisfaction.

Two Englishmen went back to the dressing room with a sense of achievement, the battle lost but the war won.

The Indians would be a bit ambivalent about the result — they had declared by words (through manager Chandu Borde) that they would be happy with a 1-0 win. And they had declared by their actions (by not asking England to follow on) that they would be satisfied with the bird in hand, however nettle-free the bushes might be.

At the end, the Indians uprooted the stumps, had a huddle by the pitch and skipped lightly, their arms around each other, and expressed their joy in ecstatic shouts. They raised their arms and punched the air — they walked off in triumph, they clearly were delighted with the result, ensuring a 1-0 series victory.

Yet the satisfaction was incomplete — there was a sense that the whole business was left unfinished, even though India won the series 1-0, for only the third time in England.

The English tail and a saviour

On the final Monday, there was drama only at the end, with the hosts losing their top-order to expose their tail, but the tail wagged, for a change. Even as the Indians threw a ring of fielders around the batsmen, the Englishmen played out over after over with grim resolution, each proffered block, each run cheered lustily in the stands.