At the end of five exhausting days that produced plenty of memories but no outright winner, it was India who were celebrating. England believed they had made most of the running in this fourth Test, only to be thwarted by a monumental final-day rearguard and left chuntering about a couple of milestones delaying the handshakes.
Sitting 2-1 down with one to play, Shubman Gill’s tourists can no longer win the series outright but they will head to the Oval buoyed by drawing this match. Ben Stokes gave it everything — 141 in England’s first innings, six wickets with the ball — and could reflect on his finest all-round match by way of numbers. But this was scant consolation after pushing through the pain barrier for the outcome he says he dislikes the most.
