England-india Test Series Best Since 2005 Ashes - Agnew

This bid betwixt England and India has decidedly been nan champion that I person been progressive successful since nan Ashes successful 2005.

Winning successful Australia successful 2010-11 was besides special, but this has had each nan ingredients that makes Test lucifer cricket truthful typical - nan intensity, nan combative quality astatine times, nan immense skill.

It has had everything, it has been each spot arsenic competitory and compelling arsenic immoderate Ashes series.

Of course, England supporters would person loved Gus Atkinson to person scored those runs, moreover conscionable six much for a tie, but to get a decorativeness for illustration that - sloppy of who wins – is perfectly awesome for Test cricket.

I've enjoyed nan competitory quality throughout, it is what is Test cricket is each about.

You don't spot it successful T20 aliases franchise cricket. It shows really overmuch group and nan players attraction astir Test cricket and playing for your state and you tin show nan difference.

The 7,187 runs scored is nan astir successful a five-Test series, and it is conscionable nan 2nd clip successful nan past 20 years that each crippled successful a bid of that magnitude has gone to a last day.

If immoderate administrator successful nan world crippled looks astatine this bid and is considering four-day Tests arsenic nan measurement to go, they shouldn't beryllium an administrator successful cricket. That's each that needs to beryllium said.

We had nan 4th time astatine The Oval connected a Sunday astatine The Oval and it was perfectly packed, and a sell-out connected time 5 which is fabulous.

And this morning, to spot Chris Woakes hobbling down those steps astatine number 11, it was conscionable axenic drama.

Colin Cowdrey batted pinch a surgery limb successful 1963, though he did not look a ball, but Paul Terry did erstwhile he faced nan West Indies pinch his limb successful a sling successful 1984.

It was a alleviation that Woakes managed to enactment astatine nan non-striker's extremity because I'm not judge really India would person bowled to him.

It's each good and bully to opportunity you spell location and bounce it successful astatine his enarthrosis aliases immoderate but it's not very bully erstwhile you are faced pinch that anticipation arsenic a bowler.

If you spell backmost to cardinal moments successful this match, peculiarly pinch 73 runs needed pinch 7 wickets successful hand, England should beryllium winning from there.

There will beryllium comments astir Harry Brook's dismissal and I'll beryllium 1 who says, really, was that necessary? With nan crippled conscionable wrong your grasp, nan really hard-nosed master cognition is that you triumph nan game.

Joe Root and Brook had conscionable snatched nan crippled distant from them pinch specified an unthinkable 195-run partnership.

But if you speak to Michael Vaughan and Sir Alastair Cook, group who person scored acold galore much Test runs than I have, they'll opportunity they're OK pinch it, truthful an old-timer shrugs his shoulders and says 'fair enough'.

But Brook was nan only 1 who could person seized nan crippled successful nan mode that he did because Joe Root conscionable played successful his quiet, master way.

He has since said he regretted nan changeable sewage that him out, and adjacent capable to him, it's large of him to opportunity that. You conscionable dream that adjacent time, successful Sydney erstwhile they're 2-1 up to triumph nan Ashes, he'll spot England home!

At nan commencement of nan series, my interest was that if it didn't spell well, each of England's cautiously laid plans for Australia could beryllium successful a messiness and you wouldn't cognize what they would do, going forward.

But it has not been nan lawsuit astatine all. We person been choosing our starting XIs for nan first Test successful Perth and it is beautiful overmuch nan aforesaid arsenic it would beryllium if we had sat down successful May and answered nan aforesaid question.

That is specified a affirmative spot to beryllium – it sends a existent connection to Australia.

India person been outstanding themselves, though. They person not helped themselves successful nan last lucifer pinch their selection, but they still won.

If you deliberation backmost to erstwhile they were 0-2 successful Manchester astatine nan commencement of their 2nd innings, they person shown tremendous resilience.

They are a caller squad and though Shubman Gill is very laidback outwardly, he has a steely broadside to him - he reminds maine of David Gower.

He will study truthful overmuch from this acquisition and they look to person awesome spirit.

Jonathan Agnew was speaking to BBC Sport cricket writer Ffion Wynne.