Siraj played every match in the fiercely contested series, leading India’s pace attack with heart and hustle. Bowling tirelessly across all five Tests, he clocked over 160 overs. Even in the face of rising workloads, the Hyderabad-born quick showed no signs of slowing down
Mohammed Siraj (Pic: ICC)
Mohammed Siraj was a picture of passion and unrelenting energy as India edged out England by six runs in a pulsating finale at The Oval to draw the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series 2-2. The Indian fast bowler, who delivered three of the final four wickets on Day 5, capped off a grueling five-Test series with a heroic five-wicket haul that will be remembered for years to come.
Siraj played every match in the fiercely contested series, leading India’s pace attack with heart and hustle. Bowling tirelessly across all five Tests, he clocked over 160 overs. Even in the face of rising workloads, the Hyderabad-born quick showed no signs of slowing down. On the final day at The Oval, with England needing just 35 runs and four wickets in hand, Siraj’s fiery spell turned the game on its head.
In the post-match interview, an emotional Siraj opened up about his mental approach and simple game plan. “To be honest, I feel so amazing. Everyone thought from day 1 till this moment, we will fight hard. I am very happy. My plan was simple, to keep it simple. Hit the right areas, I knew it will work and the result is there for everyone to see. If I get a wicket, it will be bonus for me. Just wanted to keep it tight,” Siraj said.
What captivated one even more was his admission of how one word kept him going, 'believe'. "When I woke up today, I thought I can do it. I had the belief. I put an image of something with the word believe in it and put it as my wallpaper. I enjoyed it a lot," he added.
Siraj, however, didn’t shy away from recalling a moment of regret, the dropped catch of Harry Brook on Day 4. "That was a game-changing moment, because if I had taken that catch, the match would have been over by now. Hats off to Harry Brook for playing like that," said Siraj.
He also revisited the emotional low at Lord’s, where India lost a tight contest by 22 runs. Siraj, batting with Ravindra Jadeja in the final wicket stand, was bowled under pressure. "It is a very heartbreaking moment. Jaddu bhai was telling me to play as much as possible with the bat. Think of your father, how hard you have worked to get here. (On getting a promotion in his rank in Hyderabad Police) I don't know (chuckles)," Siraj remarked.
With 23 wickets in the series, Siraj emerged as the highest wicket-taker and the heartbeat of India’s bowling unit.
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