Team India, under the leadership of Shubman Gill, made history on Monday, August 4, by securing a thrilling six-run win against England in the fifth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.The match began on July 31 at the Kennington Oval in London. Put in to bat on a green-top surface, the visitors were dismissed for 224, with Karun Nair top-scoring with 57. For England, Gus Atkinson returned impressive figures of 5/33.In response, England’s opening pair of Ben Duckett (43) and Zak Crawley (64) stitched together a solid 92-run stand for the first wicket. However, India kept striking at regular intervals and eventually bowled out the hosts for 247. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna led the attack with four wickets each for the visitors.India delivered a commanding performance in their second innings, posting 396 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal was the standout performer with a brilliant 118, helping set England a daunting target of 374. In reply, Duckett scored 54, but it was the partnership between Joe Root and Harry Brook that nearly took the game away from India.The duo added 195 runs off just 211 balls before Brook was dismissed for a blazing 111 off 98 deliveries, leaving England well-placed at 301/4. However, Jacob Bethell (5) fell cheaply, and Root departed soon after for a brilliant 105, leaving the hosts in trouble at 337/6.On Day 5, England resumed at 339/6 with Jamie Smith (2*) and Jamie Overton (0*) at the crease. Mohammed Siraj was exceptional, removing both Smith (2) and Overton (9) early to leave England reeling at 354/8. Prasidh Krishna then struck, dismissing Josh Tongue for a duck and putting England on the brink at 357/9.Gus Atkinson fought valiantly for his 17 runs, but Siraj returned to finish the job, dismissing him and bowling England out for 367. The visitors clinched a thrilling six-run victory, their narrowest margin in Test cricket history.With this win, India drew the series 2-2 in their first assignment under the leadership of new captain Shubman Gill. On that note, we take a look at five expert reactions to India's dramatic series-levelling victory in the fifth Test of the 2025 ENG vs IND series.5 expert reactions to India's leveling series 2-2 in ENG vs IND 2025 5th Test#1 Sanjay BangarFormer India batting coach Sanjay Bangar described the 2-2 draw as an excellent outcome for the visitors, emphasizing that it would have been commendable even if the team hadn’t been in transition. Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, the 52-year-old said:“Terrific result from any perspective. Even if it wasn't a team in transition, it would have been a terrific result. India has had this habit of winning Test matches in English and that has started happening way more often than it used to in the past.”“Winning two series in Australia and even in the previous England tour, the scoreline was similar and India was the dominant side with a lead of 2-1 before unfortunately losing the last Test match to become 2-2. So similar results happening on a consistent basis means the Indian team is growing in stature, confidence and in the belief system that they can consistently win overseas and in England,” he added.#2 Sunil GavaskarLegendary batter Sunil Gavaskar also praised the Indian team, highlighting that winning overseas is never easy and that even a drawn series signals a promising future. Speaking to India Today, the 76-year-old said:“It is never easy to win overseas. You can win comfortably at home. But overseas, even with a drawn series, you can say the future is very good. If Rahul is still around for another half dozen years, along with Jaiswal, as openers and with the promising Sai Sudharsan at 3, and the captain Gill at 4, it is a very good batting lineup.”“And then the bowling as well, Siraj has got at least another five years ahead of him and Prasidh Krishna also took wickets. The more he plays with Siraj, he will bowl in a way where he does not give away those boundaries. He has also gotten better and better as the series has gone on,” he added.#3 Nasser HussainFormer England captain Nasser Hussain also praised the visitors for their outstanding performance throughout the series, stating that it would have been unfair if England had won 3-1, as India fully deserved the 2-2 result. Speaking during a discussion on Sky Sports, Hussain said:“It was an incredible series. It wasn't just today. It wasn't like four boring games and then we had a little thrilling climax. It was thrilling all the way through this series. We will wake up tomorrow and we will go, "Oh, we haven't got any India-England left in the Test series."“That has just been an incredible story. Different conditions, different pitches. And you have to be honest, it would have been a travesty if England had gone 3-1. India deserved to be two all for the amount of good cricket they have played in this series. The final scoreline was well and truly deserved by India, two all,” he added.#4 Aakash ChopraFormer India opener-turned-broadcaster Aakash Chopra also heaped praise on the visitors. He highlighted that despite the absence of key players like Rishabh Pant (injured), Jasprit Bumrah (rested), and Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (both retired from Tests), India still managed to pull off an incredible win at The Oval. Speaking in a video shared on his YouTube channel @CricketAakash, he said:“Wow India, wow! History has been made, brother. India has won the match at The Oval and finished the series at two all. This is the smallest margin of victory in the history of Indian Test cricket. Heavy roller or no roller, who cares! There was no Bumrah, no Pant.""Now when you look back, there was no Kohli, no Rohit either. But it didn’t make a difference. This young team absolutely blew away the opposition. And we are really, really, really proud of you, Team India! This was pure joy! It was magical, fantastical, incredible. These guys are just something else," he added.The 47-year-old also admitted that he had predicted a 3-2 series loss for India and believed that even securing a draw would be difficult. However, he praised the team for standing tall and continuing to fight throughout. He said:“I am incredibly proud, incredibly proud of this Indian cricket team, because I had this thought, and it was a very optimistic prediction, that India would lose this series 3-2. I said, if we win even two matches, that would be great. If we manage to draw the series, then a draw is as good as a win. This is what I said on JioStar when we were asked for predictions before the series. I said, if we manage to draw the series, then go take a holy dip in the Ganga, brother, because drawing against this team is difficult.”“A transition is happening, and transition is tough. It comes with difficulties, challenges, issues, and complications. Sometimes the runs don’t come, the wickets don’t fall. Mistakes happen, things go wrong, things get missed. These are all youngsters, inexperienced. Many of them are touring for the first time. But they stood up. They stood up and got counted every single time. They kept fighting. And that fighting spirit deserves to be saluted,” he added.#5 Navjot Singh SidhuFormer India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu also applauded the visitors for their fantastic win and for leveling the series, emphasizing that there wasn’t just one hero in the team. He highlighted how the current side is no longer reliant on just one or two players. Speaking in a video shared on his YouTube channel @NavjotSidhuOfficial, the 61-year-old said:“In this script, in this film, there wasn’t just one hero, my friend. This was not a Shah Rukh Khan film. Even the side heroes were no less than the main hero. This victory is so important for India. It shows that the team has emerged and grown. It signifies that the days are gone when everything depended on just one man, or when only one or two players would be celebrated.""This is a tribute to Virat Kohli, and I still miss his energy today. It is a tribute to Rohit Sharma. It is a tribute to Ashwin. It is a tribute to all those individuals who have been able to inspire this team. But today, this team is not singing the tale of just one man," he added.Meanwhile, captain Shubman Gill was named Player of the Series from the Indian side, while Harry Brook received the honour for England.