Ground Report

<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: Georgia"><font size="3">India ended 21 years of agonizing wait for its Test series win in England, but the feat lost some of its gloss with the beleaguered hosts escaping with a draw in the final encounter of the three match Test series at The Oval on Monday. Though the fruit may not have turned out to be exactly sweet, India would be more than happy to grab it. Rahul Dravid became the third Indian captain to achieve this feat after Ajit Wadekar in 1971 and Kapil Dev in 1986.<o:p></o:p></font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: Georgia"><font size="3">England hasn&rsquo;t lost a home Test series since the 2001 Ashes. They had to bat the entire fifty-day of the final Test to save the match, as the target of 500 runs was virtually impossible. They did the job quite comfortable and ended the match in a draw. Thanks to a solid century by Kevin Peterson who made 101 and England ended the day with a score of 369/6.<o:p></o:p></font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family: Georgia"><font size="3">The real bonanza came for the Indian Team after the match. BCCI President Mr. Sharad Pawar announced prize money of Rs. 1 Crore cash to the 16 players, cricket manager and two coaches. He mentioned a separate award is waiting for the cricketing staff. He congratulated the Indian contingent for their excellent teamwork and performance against England in the Test series. He also requested the fans to keep faith in the players, as cricket is a game of ups and downs. He said not to get angry with the team when they do not perform, instead they should be encouraged and supported to boost their morale.<o:p></o:p></font></span></p>