The ground brought sanity to the wild, soaring numbers for the batters in the series. The wicket had grass, and it made the batters struggle.
Even as the conditions changed, bright sunshine alternating with gloom, the Indian batters gritted their teeth and fought it out.
Across five fiercely contested Tests, more than 7,000 runs were scored, including a record-equalling 21 individual centuries. Every match stretched into a gripping fifth day. The sun shone, the stands were full, and the cricket -- emotional, enthralling, and endlessly unpredictable -- captured imaginations around the world.
India's historic first-ever Test win at Edgbaston by a massive 336 runs after losing the first Test was a triumph of Grit, Resilience, Excellence, Aggressiveness, and Tactfulness, a truly GREAT performance that will be remembered for years, asserts veteran cricket correspondent K R Nayar.
After hundreds upon hundreds of runs on flat tracks in the ongoing series so far, it took the green top at The Oval to finally produce the best day of the Indian summer, on the fifth and last Friday of the Test series.
'I had specific plans coming into this Test, and Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) helped me shape and refine them in the lead-up.'
Images from Day 4 of the fifth Test between England and India at The Oval, London, on Sunday.
Akash Deep's 10-wicket match-haul sets up famous win for India in the second Test against England at Edgbaston.
India may have made tactical errors, but former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes the bigger culprit was the weather.
Technique and natural pace may me Jadeja's undoing in England
This was the first time in five years that India had put down so many chances in an innings.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between England and India at Edgbaston, in Birmingham, on Saturday.
Stokes, 34, underwent a successful operation on as torn hamstring in December followed by a rigorous physical fitness programme during which he lost 10 kilograms in weight.
How the Indian players fared in the five-Test series in England.
'I think the partnership between me and Washington was very important.'
India Head Coach Gautam Gambhir addressed the crow as Team India were hosted by the Indian High Commission in London on Monday
All eyes were on pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who participated in the training session, though his availability for the match is a big doubt.
India skipper Shubman Gill on Wednesday said that levelling the five-match Test series in England would be a "great achievement" and he would return from his first assignment as captain a lot wiser.
As fans celebrated his bold leadership, a black Nike vest he sported during the drinks break has triggered questions about a potential breach of BCCI's apparel deal with Adidas.
With the series nicely poised at 1-1 going into the third Test, the narrative built around both the teams has changed significantly following India's 336-run routing of England at Edgbaston.
Kuldeep Yadav is spending more time with Ravindra Jadeja on the tour of England
Rishabh Pant, who hit two centuries in the Headingley Test, now trails top-ranked batter Joe Root by just 88 points.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the third Test match, played between England and India at Lord's, London, on Saturday.
Varun Aaron said that the England batting unit is not going to be "very comfortable" heading into the third Test against India at Lord's
Rachin Ravindra scored his first Test century and Kane Williamson his 30th in an unbroken stand of 219 as New Zealand put on 258 for two on the opening day of the first Test against a depleted South Africa at Bay Oval on Sunday.
England lead 2-1 in the series and victory at Old Trafford would seal it.
With India conceding more than 600 runs for the first time since 2014, the case for including a wicket-taking spinner like Kuldeep Yadav is stronger than ever for the must-win fifth and final Test against England.
Washington Sundar's double strike pegged England back in the afternoon session, leaving them struggling 175/6 at tea on Day 4 of the third Test, at Lord's.
The marquee contest will witness an engrossing tussle for supremacy between two battle-hardened all-rounders: Jadeja, India's man for all seasons, and England's superstar Ben Stokes, who has been the face of a defining era for the Three Lions.
Going into the penultimate game of the rubber, the pressing question is whether to tweak their conservative approach and bolster the spin department by playing left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav at the cost of a spin all-rounder.
Who do you think should be part of the Indian team for the first Test against England?
Ravindra Jadeja is on the cusp of a significant batting milestone during the third Test against England, starting at Lords on Thursday.
Opener K L Rahul expressed disappointment as India failed to gain a lead against England on Day 3 of the third Test of the five-match series at 'Home of Cricket', Lord's, on Saturday.
Ravindra Jadeja's father, Anirudhsinh, has opened up about the strained ties with the star all-rounder and his wife, Rivaba Jadeja.
Needing 7 to win, Siraj is given the ball and who better than Mr Lion Heart to script India's narrowest win in Test cricket. It takes Siraj a stinging yorker to send Atkinson's stumps flying -- the ball hitting low on the off stump.
'It felt like you had to force the ball through, which in England were are not used to -- you usually get rewards for your cuts and clips.'
With over 500 runs, six crucial catches, the most by an Indian on the tour, Rahul led by example and lived up to his wiseman tag.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the third Test match between England and India at Lord's, London, on Thursday.
Former captain Nasser Hussain criticised the slow over rate in the third Test between India and England at Lord's.
The swashbuckling left-hander has a solid record in England, with 808 runs in 10 Tests and 19 innings at an average of 42.52, with four centuries and two fifties. His best score is 146.
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