To think a cricketer of Mohammed Siraj’s resilience and sheer bloody-mindedness had to turn to Google for a source of inspiration in the early hours of that pulsating final day at The Oval this week. The same Siraj, who has been unrelenting since his India debut in 2020 during the tour of Australia, who by this third Test match found himself the leader of a rag-tag pace attack. The same Siraj, who played all five Test matches in Australia without complaint and bowled the most overs for India (157.1). The same Siraj about whom rest and rotation and workload management are not discussed openly.
And yet there was Siraj, as he revealed following his heroic showing in India’s epic six-run win over England, lying in his south London hotel bed a little after 6am on Monday morning, changing his phone’s wallpaper to a photo of his favourite footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo, with the word ‘Believe’ across it.
Why did the series’ most successful bowler, who bowled more overs than anyone else, still not believe? Was it because he’d seen catches gone down off his bowling, inside-edges scoot to fine leg for four, lbw reviews not go his way? Was his mess of a catch at the deep square leg boundary on day four to allow Harry Brook a life on 19 the reason he’d started to doubt the result of that final Test match? Or was he just too darn tired after bowling the most overs in the series?
As Siraj put it, the body and mind were weary and the fact that England had just 35 runs to chase on the final morning with four wickets in hand made it a tricky proposition. He didn’t reveal more, instead opting to bask in the success of a transitional Indian team’s success in drawing the series 2-2.
As one of a few experienced hands in this squad, Siraj knew he had a role to do and it was made tougher by the fact that before the series started, Jasprit Bumrah announced that he would only play three out of five Tests. And he played the role to the fullest, sealing the victory at The Oval with his 23rd wicket, after which he termed this 2-2 result as more satisfying than his debut series, which culminated with that unforgettable Gabba heist, because of “the way we have fought throughout this series, with each test going into the fifth day”.
Indeed Siraj, aged 31, was unstoppable across these 25 days of a riveting Test series. He is, alongside Chris Woakes, the only pace bowler to feature in all five matches, but the Englishman’s role at The Oval was cut short on day one until, his dislocated left shoulder in sling hidden under his sweater, he walked out to bat at No 11 on Monday.
Siraj bowled 185.3 overs for a series-leading 23 wickets, which came at 32.43 each. He actually bowled better when India’s leader, Bumrah, was not playing. He had a starring role in India’s two wins, taking a six-wicket haul during England’s first innings in Birmingham and then nine at The Oval, including five in the fourth innings.
There were times in this series when Siraj drifted too easily onto the stumps, but for the most part he kept his length, invited the drives, and brought plenty of deliveries sharply back in off the scrambled seam to flummoxed English batsmen. He was never shy from having a word at those players he had beaten or seen dropped or reprieved by the umpires’ call, and as he stated after that prickly fourth Test match, Siraj had no qualms about rivals sharing a bit of needle.
There were countless times when Siraj could not conceal his frustration, but the abiding memory, beyond the contorted body reactions and falls to the ground in desperation, will be that of Siraj going about his job uncomplainingly. He had to bowl on four largely unresponsive tracks and was not helped by the Indian team’s stubbornness in bolstering the batting depth instead of supporting their pacers. I would like to think that in private, Siraj let off some steam regarding this, since heck, that is what all fast bowlers do, right?
Siraj lacks the natural talent of Bumrah, as well as his favourite ‘Jassi bhai’s’ control, but he makes up for that with a cussedness and unwavering commitment which was worth their weight in gold. And, for pure box office entertainment, good fun to watch. He’s never short on stamina, can bowling arching in-cutters and when in rhythm, is capable of beating the bat of the best in the game with regularity.
All of these skills were on display across these five Tests in England. Look at Edgbaston, where he stepped up as the leader of the attack in Bumrah’s absence with 6/70 in England’s sub-par first innings, and the wickets of Joe Root and Ben Stokes off successive deliveries. Look at The Oval, where he had a match haul of nine wickets. Even in tough situations, when England went after him, Siraj didn’t lose his focus. Each match, he gave absolutely everything for India’s cause, even when hobbling during the fourth Test.
Siraj might be one of a last kind of bowler. Enjoy him, Indian fans, while he’s still got the mojo to run in on any surface.
