London: A striking feature of Shubman Gill’s young team has been the fight it showed and refusal to throw in the towel at any stage of the five-match Test series versus England.
If one man embodied that never-say-die spirit, it was undoubtedly Mohammed Siraj.
When the final day’s play in the fifth and final Test got under at the Oval on Monday, England were 339/6, chasing an imposing 374. Though India had fought back superbly on Sunday after Harry Brook and Joe Root’s rollicking 195-run partnership, England had their nose in front as they needed just 35 runs, and they had batters who were familiar with overcast English conditions.
Then came Siraj. With the series on the line – England desperate for victory to clinch it 3-1 and India hungry to make it 2-2 – the lion-hearted fast bowler from Hyderabad ripped through the England lower middle order and tail to engineer a famous 6-run win.
Siraj was quite unplayable, making the ball talk with the swing he got. He first induced an edge from Jamie Smith – who scored 434 runs in the series including a fabulous unbeaten 184 in the second Test – behind the wicket to Dhruv Jurel. Siraj then trapped allrounder Jamie Overton leg-before wicket. And as Gus Atkinson threatened to knock off the remaining runs by keeping away an injured Chris Woakes – one arm in a sling – from the strike, Siraj produced a magical yorker to win it for India.
A moment of joy.⁰A moment in history.⁰Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj—what a bowling duo!⁰What a match. What an effort from Chris Woakes.⁰Everything was exceptionally beautiful.#INDvsENG #INDvsENGTest #OvalTest #Siraj #TeamIndia
— Kavya Maran (@Kavya_Maran_SRH) August 4, 2025
Siraj, who bagged 3 of the 4 wickets on Monday, finished with 5/104 in the second innings and a match haul of 9/190. It fetched him the Man-of-the-Match award.
Asked by TV commentator Dinesh Karthik what were his thoughts this morning, Siraj revealed the secret to his success – a Google emoji on his phone.
“I woke up in the morning and checked Google on my phone. I took out a ‘Believe’ emoji wallpaper and told myself that I will do it for the country,” Siraj said.
A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of Telangana Police, Siraj played all 5 Tests in the series and emerged as the top wicket-taker from both sides, with 23 dismissals.
“I always believe that I can win the game from any point, and did that in the morning,” Siraj said during the post-match chat with Karthik for Jio Hotstar.
“My only plan was to bowl in good areas. Didn’t matter if I took wickets or went for runs,” he said.
It was redemption for Siraj as on Day 4, he had stepped on the boundary skirting after catching Harry Brook when the latter was on 19. The right-hander went on to make a century as he and the other centurion Joe Root pushed India to the back foot with a stunning 195-run partnership.
“That was a heart-breaking moment.. Had I taken that catch, we would have won the game yesterday,” Siraj remarked.
