 "Mohammed Siraj took a fifer on Day 5 of the Oval Test. AP")
India have defeated England by 6 runs at The Oval to finish the series on level terms at 2-2. Mohammed Siraj emerged as the standout performer for India on Day 5 . The pacer took three of the remaining four wickets and culminated the match with a 5-for.
A delighted Siraj expressed his thoughts upon wining the match for India :
“I was just thinking that I should bowl in the right areas. To be honest, I didn’t think that I would take the (Brook) catch and step on the rope. It was a match-changing moment. Yes, I always believed myself that I will do it for the team.”
With four wickets in hand and 35 runs were needed, England had the edge at the start of the Day 5. Moreover, when Jamie Overton struck two boundaries in the first two deliveries of the day, the misery further enhanced for India. But Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna did not panic and delivered ferocious spells under pressure.
Siraj got the first wicket by enforcing Jamie Smith to nick one to the keeper. He then trapped Overton in front, and transferred the pressure on England. Prasidh then joined the party by castling the stumps of Josh Tongue. England were 9 down when an injured Chris Woakes walked into the middle to give a last gasp hope to the hosts. Realising the situation, Gus Atkinson shifted gears and started to throw bat at everything. He connected one cleanly and got a six as well. However, in the end, Siraj produced the magic delivery and totaled his stumps to secure a famous win for India. Siraj finished with a fifer, whereas Prasidh concluded the game with four wickets. Akash Deep took the remaining one scalp.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsTeam India drops the mic: It’s Oval and out
After losing the toss for a record 14th time, India were put to bat first. England bowlers, Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, and Jamie Overton, were all over India in the first innings, and after dealing with the hostile batting conditions, Team India managed to put a modest 224 in the first innings.
In response, England got the ideal start on the back of a sublime opening partnership between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. The openers put on almost a century run stand. Despite the exploits by the front two, England were bundled out at 247 in the first innings.
India presented a much better batting display in the second innings. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed a stellar century to put India in the driver’s seat. Nightwatchman Akash Deep, provided Jaiswal the required support from the other end and notched a brilliant knock of 66 runs. Following that, the ever-consistent Ravindra Jadeja proved to be impactful once again. He scored a half-century in the final outing of the series. Washington Sundar gave India the finishing touch by playing a blinder of a knock. He added crucial 53 runs at a brisk pace. All these performances resulted in setting up a target of 374 in front of England.
Chasing 374, England’s openers once again provided the team a fine start. This time, Crawley and Duckett forged a 50-run stand for the first wicket. Day 4 saw England losing two wickets in quick succession, but afterwards, Joe Root and Harry Brook took the onus and dominated India for almost two sessions straight. They added 195 runs for the fourth wicket and took the game away from India. Notably, both batters completed their respective centuries. With 73 runs needed, England lost Brook. Deep took the wicket and brought India back. The Indian bowlers then gained the momentum and did not lose their grip on the match until the victory was attained.