Mohammed Siraj endured a night filled with restlessness and introspection after being dismissed on the last ball at Lord's and dropping a straightforward catch by Harry Brook on Sunday. Siraj bowled brilliantly in this match, taking five wickets in the second innings.
IND vs ENG: In the fifth and final Test match played at The Oval, the Indian cricket team defeated England in a thrilling manner by 6 runs, leveling the series 2-2. The biggest hero of this victory was Mohammed Siraj, who not only turned the match around by taking five wickets on the fifth day, but also touched the hearts of millions with his inspiring story.
Siraj's 'Believe Moment' and Inspiration from Ronaldo
After the match, Siraj revealed that before the final day, he searched for a picture of Cristiano Ronaldo on Google with the word "Believe" written on it. He made that photo his wallpaper and promised himself - "I will do it for the country." With this spirit, Siraj stepped onto the field and broke England's back within 56 minutes and 53 balls. As soon as he clean bowled Atkinson, he celebrated in Ronaldo's 'SIUU' style.
On the final day, England needed just 35 runs to win, but Mohammed Siraj's sharp bowling changed everything. When Prasidh Krishna conceded two fours, hopes began to fade, but as soon as Siraj dismissed Jamie Smith, the hopes of the Indian fans at The Oval were reignited.
However, on the very next ball, KL Rahul dropped an easy catch of Atkinson, which once again spread tension in the Indian camp. But Siraj did not give up. On the next ball, he got Overton out, turning the match in India's favor.
Historical Victory, Moments Full of Thrill
In the last overs, when Woakes came out to bat with a sling on his arm and Atkinson hit a six, it seemed England would turn the tide. But then, a low full toss ball from Siraj deceived Atkinson's bat and blew away the leg stump. With this, India registered the closest and most thrilling victory in Test history.
- 7187 runs were scored in this entire Test series, which is the second highest number of runs in any 5-match series in Test history.
- Both teams scored 300+ 14 times, which reflects the dominance of the batsmen.
- 21 individual centuries were scored, which is proof of the excellent form of the batsmen of both the teams.
- Mohammed Siraj took 9 wickets in the 5th Test and a total of 23 wickets in the series, which is the joint best performance by India in England.
Siraj's performance in this series was reflected not only in the figures but also in the passion. After being dismissed on the last ball at Lord's and dropping a catch in the previous match, he prepared himself mentally. Siraj has shown that when a player steps onto the field with dedication for his country, he can make the impossible possible.
