Key Points

August 16, 2021, the fifth day of the second Test in London, before England came out to bat, Virat assembled his players and gave a stirring speech to fire up his troops. One of his remarks, "For 60 overs they should feel like hell out there," certainly stood out and found a place in the hearts of die-hard cricket fans.

His words resonated with the actions of Indian players, and their body language on the field was a sheer reminder of it. England failed to cope with the scorching heat of Indian speedsters, and then-captain Virat directed their downfall. During England's pursuit of the 272-run target, the hosts arguably felt it for 51.5 overs in their backyard.

It all began with Jasprit Bumrah rapping Rory Burns on his glove, which flew straight to Mohammed Siraj. A sea of Indian players surrounded the English opener, threw a couple of words at him, and gave him intimidating stares. The rampage continued, and England was soon dwindling at 67/4.

On the third delivery of the 27th over, Jos Buttler gave away a thick outside edge to Virat, who floored a sitter. The world saw it, and the batting mainstay became the object of trolling on social media. However, the Indian side wasn't the one that was going to get bogged down by one error.

Virat went to Bumrah at the end of the over, apologised, and India resumed its hunt for wickets in packs. India shrugged off the mistake and soon returned to wicket-taking ways as the game went right down to the wire. In the final hour, England, with barely a wicket left, had to see off a handful of overs.

Siraj, with his spirited spells, hammered the decisive blow, and India roared in jubilation. 'Miyan Magic' pegged James Anderson's off stump to seal a memorable 151-run victory for India. Bumrah starred with his three-wicket haul while Siraj roared with a four-fer.

"A bit of tension on the field really helped us and really motivated us to finish this game," was Virat's message after the dust settled in London.

- ANI