Siraj’s fiery bowling helps India beat England

• Six-run victory in most dramatic finish; series ends in 2-2 draw

• In the final moments of the game, England were just 6 runs away from victory. But that’s when Siraj turned the tide in India’s favour

• He proved to be unstoppable with his devastating bowling. Siraj bowled 1113 balls (185.3 overs) in the series – the most by any bowler, claiming 23 wickets in all

PRAVASISAMWAD.COM

The internet is literally on fire with just one name and one piece of mind-blowing news:  Mohammed Siraj’s fiery bowling

and India’s dramatic win, the most thrilling climax on the last day of the fifth Test match at the Oval, in England on Tuesday.

With this, India has brought the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy test series to a close on a fantastic note, defeating England by 6 runs, to level the series with a 2-2 score.

In the absence of pacer Jasprit Bumrah, the bulk of the bowling load fell upon the shoulders of Mohammed Siraj.  The pacer from Hyderabad did not let Team India or the country down with a stupendous bowling spell of 5 wickets for 104 runs in the second innings. His overall tally in this match was 9 wickets, earlier claiming four wickets in the first innings.

Since 2020, Siraj has been the player with most matches played for India – more than Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill, R Ashwin and even Bumrah. Siraj signed off the England Test series as the highest wicket-taker with 23 wickets

Set a target of 374 runs, the England side at one stage looked in sight off victory, needing just 35 runs to win the game with four wickets in hand on the final day, with the home crowd cheering them on.

An England victory seemed so imminent, bolstered by two centuries by Harry Brooks (111 runs) and Joe Root (105 runs) and the gigantic partnership of 195 runs between the two batsmen, the defeat was disappointing for the hosts.

In the final moments of the game, England were just 6 runs away from victory. But that’s when Siraj turned the tide in India’s favour.

He proved to be unstoppable with his devastating bowling as he tore through the remnants of the English side like a rampaging hurricane.

 Earlier in their second knock, India had piled up 396 runs.  With valuable contributions from night-watchman Akash Deep and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (118 runs), together with half centuries each from Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, that kept the game alive and ticking.

In the first innings, India invited to bat first, scored 224runs. In reply, England scored 247 runs, managing to take a slender lead in spite of playing with one batsman less.

India Skipper Shubman Gill, who was India’s ‘Player Of The Series’ with 754 runs and four hundreds, was all praise for Siraj.

“Siraj is a captain’s dream. Gave it his all with every ball and every spell he bowled. The 2-2 draw is a fair reflection. It shows how passionate both teams were and how well they played,” Gill said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Earlier in the match, Siraj had dropped a crucial catch of Harry Brook at the boundary — a moment many believed had turned the tide in England’s favour. Brook went on to score a blistering 92, nearly taking the game away.

Commenting on Siraj’s blistering spell, Gavaskar while praising the overall fighting performed by Team India, praised the spectacular bowling by Mohammed Siraj that earned them such a dramatic win and helped the side to level the series 2-2.

Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly in his comments said: “Not since 2007 have we seen a cricket match end on such a dramatic note and a nail-biting finish for India.”

He added that Siraj deserves special praise and credit for his sterling contribution in India’s victory.

TV Anchor Rajdeep Sardesai, the son of a very prominent former India cricketer, Dileep Sardesai, in his comments about Siraj’s fantastic bowling said: “From playing cricket in the bylanes of Hyderabad to reaching the pinnacle of fame in international cricket, it has been a remarkable journey and a great achievement”.

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