“Team India overachieved” - Michael Clarke slams England team for not winning Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy

Former Australian captain and analyst Michael Clarke has stated that he would be disappointed if he were the skipper of the England cricket team if his team settled for a 2-2 draw against India in their backyard.

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Notably, India bagged a thrilling six-run win at the Oval in the fifth and final Test against England to level the series 2-2. Interestingly, India entered this series on the back of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s retirements, with Shubman Gill taking up the new captaincy role.

"This England team, I think, 2-2 draw in your own backyard, if I'm captain of that team, I'm disappointed with that result. I want to win, especially in my own conditions. I think they would've come into the series expecting to win," Clarke said on his YouTube channel.

While Clarke didn’t take Team India lightly, he felt that the Shubman Gill-led side overachieved, given the fact that they entered the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy as a young and inexperienced line-up.

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"I'm not taking India lightly, but I think they've overachieved, particularly with the lead-up to the series," Clarke added.

"If India lost the series, people would've respected and understood that. New captain, two of their most senior players not playing Test cricket, the best bowler in the world playing only three of the five matches - I think England would've gone into the series expecting to win," Clarke noted.

"India have overperformed. To level the series 2-2, that's definitely a win for India in my opinion," Clarke concluded.

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Moving into the fifth and final day of the Oval Test, it was England’s game to lose as they required only 35 runs to win the game and the series with four wickets in hand. However, Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj’s spirited show meant India won by six runs to level the series.

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