 "Mohammed Siraj finished as the highest wicket-taker in the series with 23 scalps. Reuters")
Mohammed Siraj showed incredible skills to lead India to a thrilling six-run win over England in the fifth and final Test at The Oval. His fiery spell on the final day helped India draw the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-2 , in what was one of the most exciting and hard-fought Test series in recent memory.
With 35 runs to win and four wickets in hand, England were favourites on the morning of Day 5. But Siraj came charging in from the very first ball, giving no breathing space to the English batters. He picked up the key wickets of Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton, and later delivered a perfect yorker to bowl Gus Atkinson and seal the match for India.
Siraj was named Player of the Match for his outstanding performance in the match, in which he picked up 9 wickets, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings. Here’s a list of records Siraj achieved during his match-winning performance in London.
Equals Jasprit Bumrah’s record
Siraj finished the five-match series as the leading wicket-taker with 23 wickets to his name. It is the joint-most by an Indian bowler in a Test series in England. This equalled the record set by Jasprit Bumrah, who also took 23 wickets during India’s 2021-22 tour of England.
Goes past Kapil Dev’s feat
With his nine wickets at The Oval, Siraj now has a total of 46 Test wickets in England, moving past legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev (43). He is now among the top Indian wicket-takers in England and needs only six more to become the highest. Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma are ahead of Siraj with 51 wickets each.
Best match figures
Siraj’s match haul of 9/190 is the best-ever by an Indian at The Oval. He broke the previous record held by BS Chandrasekhar, who took 8/114 at the same venue. His 5/104 in the second innings is now the third-best bowling figure by an Indian in a single innings at The Oval. Only Chandrasekhar and Madan Lal have done better.
Joint 2nd most five-fors
This was Siraj’s second five-wicket haul in Test cricket in England, placing him joint-second on the list alongside nine other Indian bowlers, including legends like Kapil Dev and Ishant Sharma. Only Bumrah has more Test five-fors in England (4).