Shubman Gill claimed India “will never give up” after they managed to win the fifth Test against England from an unlikely position.

England needed just 35 runs to win, with four wickets remaining, as Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton headed to the crease at the start of day five.

India, led by Mohammed Siraj’s (5-104) three wickets, fought back brilliantly to win by six runs and draw the series 2-2. The fast bowler also led the series with 23 wickets, nine of those coming in the final Test.

Gill insisted that India were confident that they could achieve victory at The Oval, especially with Siraj in the side, who he called “a captain’s dream”.

“Going into day five, never knowing which team was going to win, it shows that both teams came with their A-game. I’m very happy to get over the line in this one,” said Gill.

“There was a bit of pressure on us, but how we responded this morning was just magnificent.

“We were pretty confident, we knew [England] were under pressure. We had to make sure they were feeling the pressure throughout – pressure makes people do things they don’t want to.

“[I’ve learned] we never give up.

“[Siraj] is a captain’s dream. Every ball, every spell, he gave his all. Every team wants a player like him. We’re very fortunate to have him in our team.”

The delight after taking a match-winning FIFER for your team 

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/Tc2xpWNayE#TeamIndia | #ENGvIND | @mdsirajofficial pic.twitter.com/kmTBvtOlaz

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 4, 2025

Gill had an record-breaking series himself, scoring 754 across the five matches with a top score of 269, with no batter scoring more runs in a series between England and India. 

Only Don Bradman (810 v England) has scored more runs in a series as a Test captain, while Sunil Gavaskar’s 774 against West Indies is the only higher score by an Indian player in a series.

Gill was also named India’s Player of the Series by opposition head coach Brendon McCullum.

Gill added: “It feels very rewarding to be able to achieve that. It was my goal to be the best batter of the series. It’s very satisfying.

“I think once you are sorted mentally, you would be in a good space. But you're only sorted mentally when you're feeling technically correct. So, I think they're both kind of correlated. If you feel like you're getting in good positions, you're always mentally more stable.”