Mohammed Siraj: The emotional heart for India in spicy Test series who relentlessly came at England when all seemed lost

In the end of course it had to be Mohammad Siraj.

Steaming in one more time from the Pavilion End at The Oval, as he has done so relentlessly in this Test, seven runs to win for England, one wicket for India, the ball speared into the base of Gus Atkinson’s stumps, off pole flattened, India win, series drawn.

In myriad ways it was the most fitting of ends to a spicy five-Test series, that delivered on its simmering promise with a South London finale for the ages. On a macro level the series finishing tied at 2-2 was the fairest reflection of a contest that saw evenly-matched teams slug it out across 25 hard-fought days of Test cricket, neither ever able to truly dominate the other – both at times had golden opportunities, both saw them slip from their grasp.

On a personal level no man deserved to have the final word in this contest more than Siraj. Player of the Match in this game, he has been the emotional heart for India in this series, the talismanic berserker refusing to give up, the frantically kicking underwater legs of a swan while the rest glides elegantly across its surface.

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Yeh #NayaIndia hain, ye haar kar, phir jeetna jaanta hai 💙

Mohammed Siraj lands the winning blow to script a historic victory at The Oval 🔥#SonySportsNetwork #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia #ExtraaaInnings | @mdsirajofficial pic.twitter.com/rmoemQV7e0

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No man has bowled more overs in this series than Siraj, outlasting Chris Woakes to be the last paceman standing to have played in all five Tests, no man has more wickets – his final tally of victims only five fewer than India’s next two most successful bowlers combined. Siraj bowled 47 spells in this series, not one under 131kph, relentlessly coming at England when sometimes all seemed lost.

Stepping up to lead in Bumrah’s absence

Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for only three of five Tests was supposed to be a crucial factor in this series, the loss of India’s star man a fillip for England in this clash of otherwise fairly evenly-matched sides. In the end Siraj rendered it meaningless – in fact the games Bumrah missed were the ones India won.

Much of the credit for that must go to Siraj, stepping up to lead the line in Bumrah’s absence and delivering his two finest performances in the series. At Edgbaston in the second Test, his first innings figures of 6/70 were the second-best of his career, his destruction of England’s lineup on an absolute batters’ paradise of a pitch, a key cog in their thumping win.

Also Read | Gill labels Siraj 'a captain's dream' after dramatic victory at The Oval

And then to The Oval. Just as England looked to be favourites for a comfortable first innings lead, India reeling from Crawley and Duckett’s opening burst, up stepped Siraj, four top order scalps claimed, crisis averted, England’s lead kept to just 23.

But then on Day Four it seemed as if the cricketing gods had selected the cruelest fate available for the wholehearted Siraj – stepping on the rope after catching Harry Brook, a wicket turned to six and then, increasingly agonisingly over the course of the afternoon, a partnership of 195 runs that took England tantalisingly close to victory.

Making up for a clumsily-placed boot with a dream spell

Siraj though would have one last chance to reply, driven by the desperate desire to make amends, striving for redemption for that clumsily-placed boot. When India finally ended the Root and Brook stand that was cruising them to victory, Siraj was the beating heart of an inspired all-round Indian bowling performance that saw the tourists storm back into contention just when all seemed lost.

The setup for Day Five was crying out for a hero on either side, 35 runs needed for England, 4 wickets needed for India. Who else but Mohammad Siraj? On a frenziedly tense morning England couldn’t seem to lay a bat on Siraj, every ball felt like it could yield a wicket.

Gradually he picked off England supporters’ dwindling supplies of hope, Jamie Smith caught behind, Jamie Overton trapped LBW, and then the final death blow of Atkinson’s flattened stump – a game and a series ultimately bent to one man’s will.