The fifth and final Test match at The Oval saw India outfox England to draw the series. It was a thrilling encounter that saw both sides stage comebacks, but in the end, Mohammed Siraj’s performance became the deciding factor.
He had an action-packed outing and ended the match with a five-wicket haul. The Indian pacer’s bowling was like a blockbuster movie, and he showed immense grit to come out on top.
On Day 4, he dropped the crucial catch of Harry Brook when he was batting on 19. Siraj stumbled to the boundary ropes after taking the catch. Brook was handed a lifeline and ended up smacking a ton. Brook and Joe Root’s partnership proved to be the catalyst for England’s comeback, with the latter also getting a ton. Then, fast forward to Day 5, England needed only 35 runs to win, with India requiring four wickets. It looked like the match and the series would go in England’s favour. To make matters worse for India, Jamie Overton began Day 5 with back-to-back fours off the first two deliveries against Prasidh Krishna. But Lady Luck had other plans, and Siraj rose to the occasion. In the next over, he removed Jamie Smith, and then one over later, he removed Overton.
Then Prasidh Krishna struck two overs later, taking the wicket of Josh Tongue. After Tongue’s dismissal, England were nine down in their run chase of 374, and were at 357/9. The dismissal forced an injured Chris Woakes to come out to the middle. The pacer had a sling on, batting left-handed and one-handed. After Woakes’ arrival, there were two overs of suspense, and then Siraj completed his five-wicket haul, removing Atkinson and handing India the win.
Shubman Gill on Mohammed Siraj’s dropped catch
For Siraj, the match was a story of villain to hero. From dropping Brook’s catch, he went on to win the match for India.
Speaking during the post-match press conference, Siraj said, “Yes, it was a game-changing moment because Harry Brook is an extraordinary player. He is always in attacking mode. Some players play differently; they get into defensive mode. But he’s an attacking batsman. That time had I taken Brook’s catch, the game would be different. Then I thought this is a game-changing moment. But I am a senior bowler, I will not put my shoulder down because I was like, ‘okay, it’s happened, happens to everyone in the game.’ But yes, at that time I thought this is a game-changing moment.”
Gill, who was also with Siraj, interjected, “Also, if he would have taken the catch, the game would have been too easy for us. Good game of us, no?”
Gill’s response left everyone laughing at the press conference. Siraj was also leading the Indian pace attack due to Jasprit Bumrah’s absence. Bumrah was ruled out of the fifth Test, and initially, fans thought it was due to workload management, but recent reports claim that he sustained an injury.