When Mohammed Siraj stepped on the boundary cushion while catching a Harry Brook shot at deep fine leg on Sunday, Abhishek Gon was seated right above, in the stands.

“Our seats were under the Indian dressing room. The guy had bowled non-stop for an hour-and-a-half since the morning and had just returned to the field after a 10-minute break. And the first ball after he took position went to him. He couldn’t have gotten accustomed to the spot yet,” he said, reflecting on what turned out to be a costly error.

Abhishek was back in the gallery on Monday, at The Laker Balcony (named after the legendary Surrey spinner Jim Laker), over long on. “And there was Akash Deep with a catch popping out of his hands right in front of us. That sixer brought down England’s requirement to 11 runs. I cursed my luck then. Jekhane jachhi, catch porchhe,” the investment banker winced, speaking to Metro on his way home from the ground.

A large contingent of Indian supporters, who outnumbered English fans, witnessed the thrilling finish at The Oval. Among them were Abhishek, his wife Anwesha, in-laws, and friends Sourav Niyogi and Gaurav Gupta.

Final-day tickets usually come at a bargain — around £25 — and many Indian families had come to make the most of the school summer vacation. “It showed that despite the slim lead left for England to mow down, Indian fans had faith,” said Sourav, a management consultant with roots in Asansol.

Queues on the way out

He was confident of a win once Brook, the centurion, was dismissed on Sunday. “I started looking for a ticket then and ended up booking two. But so thrilling was the hour-and-a-half we spent at the ground that I got more than two tickets’ worth,” he said.

While Sourav was hoping the match would spill into Day 5, Abhishek wanted a result on Sunday as he did not have Day 5 tickets. He managed to get some tickets as late as Monday morning. “Tickets here go on ballots long in advance, and I had booked my Day 4 entry last October, along with tickets for a day each at Headingley, Edgbaston and Lord’s,” said Abhishek, a regular at grounds across England.

“I was there at Lord’s too when Virat Kohli’s team pulled it off in 2021. I would still rate this as the most thrilling Test India has played among the ones I have seen in 17 years,” said the former Salt Lake resident.

Monday’s atmosphere at the stadium alternated between tense and joyous. “Unlike at Lord’s, musical instruments are allowed at The Oval. The Indians came armed with drums, trumpets, and bugles. They went quiet when Prasidh Krishna was hit for consecutive boundaries off the day’s first two deliveries. The English fans went wild, cheering local Surrey boys Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton. But when Chris Woakes came out to bat with his hand in a sling, there was an ovation, irrespective of team loyalty,” Sourav recalled.

Both Abhishek and Sourav were relieved that Woakes, batting one-handed, did not have to face a single ball, and that the last wicket India took was of Gus Atkinson, rather than Woakes. “So nothing takes away from this hard-fought victory earned by this young Indian team to level the series,” Abhishek said.