With his tally of 23 wickets including the nine wicket-haul in the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj broke a number of records. The Hyderabadi bowler became only the eighth opposition bowler to take a five-wicket haul in the second innings at The Oval against England with West Indies legend Michael Holding being the last such bowler to take a five-wicket haul in the second innings at The Oval in 1984. Siraj would also become only the second Indian bowler to take 23 wickets in a Test series in England after Jasprit Bumrah, who had achieved the feat in 2021-2022. Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram had termed Siraj’s effort including his final innings heroics against England to level the series 2-2 as a mark of ‘a fighter’.
“I rarely watch cricket when I’m not working, but I was glued to the last day. Siraj was full of hunger and passion – it was an incredible effort. To bowl nearly 186 overs across five Tests and still be that fiery on the final day shows remarkable stamina and mental strength. He’s not just a support bowler anymore. He’s leading the attack and doing it with heart. Even when a catch went down– that of (Harry) Brook – he didn’t lose focus. That’s the mark of a fighter. Test cricket is alive and kicking,” Akram told Telecom Asia Sport.
With India trailing the series 1-2 prior to the fifth Test at The Oval, the Shubman Gill led Indian team needed a win to level the series. With England needing 35 runs on the last day of the Test with four wickets in hand, Siraj removed Jamir Smith, Jamie Overton and Gus Atkinson to hand India a win by six runs. It was India’s lowest win in terms of margin of runs in their Test history. Akram talked about how he gave India a 60 percent chance on the final day and how Siraj made the win possible. “I gave India a 60 per cent chance on Day 5. They just needed that first breakthrough. With Woakes (Chris) injured and India sensing blood, it was game on. Siraj made it possible,” Akram added.
Former Australian wicket-keeper Brad Haddin too had termed Siraj a leader of the attack in Indian bowling. “I think Siraj likes being the leader of the attack. He is one of those guys that he wants the ball in big situations. Yes, he makes mistakes, but he doesn’t shy away from wanting the occasion. If you have players like that who aren’t afraid to make mistakes, who can get under the skin of opposition because of the way that they want to be in the game, they are the guys you want. He wanted the ball in that last hour of play. There’s no way in the world he didn’t want to bowl every over to win the game,” Haddin had said on Youtube podcast Willow Talk.
