Mohammed Siraj’s indomitable spirit drove India to a nerve-jangling six-run win over England in the fifth and final Test at The Oval, as the visitors clawed their way to a 2-2 series draw in what was a gripping, see-sawing contest from start to finish. Needing just 35 runs with four wickets in hand at the start of day five, England appeared to hold the upper hand. But Siraj, relentless and inspired, turned the tide from the first delivery of the day.
Supported well by Prasidh Krishna, Siraj’s lion-hearted effort tilted the game India’s way by the barest of margins. His match figures of 9 wickets earned him the Player of the Match award—particularly significant given the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested due to workload management.
“I started my morning by looking up the ‘Believe’ emoji and made it my wallpaper,” a visibly emotional Siraj revealed after the game. “I told myself I would do it for my country.” Despite having bowled over 185 overs in the series, the 31-year-old's energy remained undiminished on the final day.
Indian Test team captain Shubman Gill was praise for the right-arm pacer labelling him as a 'captain's dream bowler'.
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"Definitely both the teams played brilliantly throughout the series. Both the teams came up with their A-game, happy to get on the right side today. When you have bowlers like Siraj and Prasidh, captaincy seems easy. They were making the ball talk. Yes, there was a bit of pressure on us but they were really bowling well. We were confident. We wanted them to feel the pressure throughput the 37 runs they scored. He is a captain’s dream, every ball, every spell he bowled he came all out and gave it everything for the team," Gill said at the post-match presentation.
"Both teams coming into Day 5 not knowing who would win shows how passionate both teams were and how hard everyone has played. Feels very rewarding, there were certain things I wanted to work on as a batter and it was a goal to end as the best batter of this series, glad to get that goal. It is always a combination of technique and mentality, when you are feeling good mentally then the technique naturally flows. (What he’s learnt through the series) That we never give up," he added.
Notably, the match began on a surface that had seen its share of off-field drama. Curator Lee Fortis, who had a heated exchange with India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir earlier, rolled out the heavy roller one last time to flatten the surface, making the first half-hour more manageable for batters.
But that slight advantage did little to stop Siraj from swinging the old ball viciously. Prasidh Krishna began the day with a short ball that Jamie Overton pulled for four. An inside edge for another boundary brought England within 27 runs of the target.
Then Siraj took over.
Operating from the Pavilion End, he immediately troubled Jamie Smith with sharp movement and consistent probing lines. The third ball of his over kissed the edge and was pouched by the wicketkeeper, triggering roars from the Indian fans.
Siraj was in beast mode. He nearly found the edge of Gus Atkinson’s bat the very next ball and beat him again with a delivery that cut back sharply.
He returned to remove Overton with a delivery that nipped in—Overton reviewed the LBW, but ball-tracking showed it clipping leg stump. England were now 20 runs short with just two wickets in hand.
From the other end, Prasidh Krishna struck next, pinning Josh Tongue in front with a full delivery to make it 350 for 9. The Oval echoed with deafening cheers.
Then came Siraj's moment of glory.
Bowling with nerves of steel, he delivered a searing yorker that crashed into Atkinson’s off-stump, ending the game in spectacular fashion and sparking wild celebrations in the Indian camp.
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