The tour of England was the biggest challenge for the Indian cricket team after Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin retired from Test cricket. The maiden assignment of 25-year-old Shubman Gill as captain, coach Gautam Gambhir who was still reeling from the loss of the home Test series to New Zealand and in Kangaroo Land, leading pacer Jasprit Bumrah who was unfit to play in all five matches of the series, a team that had not played much in England before... So many challenges were ahead of India. When India set out for the Pataudi Trophy, which was renamed 'The Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy', many predicted another series defeat. In a series that alternated between wins and losses, India levelled the score at 2-2 with a victory in the final match at The Oval.

When the hosts won the first Test in Leeds, India fought back in Birmingham. England won again at Lord's. After the match in Manchester ended in a draw, India levelled the series by defeating England by six runs on the fifth day of the fifth Test at The Oval. India is returning from England with its head held high. Shubman Gill's performance, scoring 754 runs in his debut series as captain, including four centuries, should be highlighted. Although Gill is only 20 runs shy of Sunil Gavaskar's record for most runs in a series, Gavaskar said that Gill, who shouldered the burden of captaincy, performed better than he did. K.L. Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Malayali star Karun Nair, Sai Sudarshan and others all excelled in the Indian batting.

All-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar scoring centuries to secure a draw in Manchester is almost equivalent to a victory. Ravindra Jadeja was in outstanding form, scoring 516 runs and taking seven wickets, including a century and five half-centuries, in the entire series. When Jasprit Bumrah got the chance to play only three matches, Siraj shouldered the responsibility and became the top wicket-taker in the series, bowling 186 overs and taking 23 wickets in five matches. Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna took 14 wickets each in the three matches. Akash Deep also made his mark by taking six wickets in the second Test. The victory in this series belongs not only to India and England, but also to Test cricket. The important thing is that all the matches in this series were completed in five days, this era where Test matches end in two or three days. Even the draws in Manchester were not boring. 21 centuries were scored in five matches. 29 half-centuries were also scored.

At the same time, this was not just a series for the batsmen. Out of the total 200 wickets that could be taken in five matches, 183 fell. Eight five-wicket hauls were celebrated. The performance of the all-rounders was also crucial. In cricket, draws achieved by small teams are more laudable than victories achieved with renowned warriors. This tour is a guide for the future of Indian cricket. In a month and a half, India has learned the lesson that it is not the size of the team that matters, but the strength of the mind. This is the first series in the new World Test Championship. May Gill and his team face the challenges of the future with even greater grace and carry the baton of world champions in their hands. Hearty congratulations to the proud stars.