Mohammed Siraj breathed life into India’s improbable hopes on Day 5 of the fifth Test at The Oval, removing Jamie Smith in his very first over. England, chasing a record 371, now need just 27 more runs with three wickets in hand — but the match remains finely balanced.
Earlier, Joe Root’s composed century and Harry Brook’s aggressive ton steered England close to victory after early Indian breakthroughs. But Brook’s rash shot triggered a mini-collapse, with Bethell and Root falling in quick succession.
Just when India turned the heat up with reverse swing and the second new ball looming, bad weather and an early stumps decision gave England some breathing room. “Every single Test match of this series has headed to the fifth day,” underlining the intensity of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
As Smith and Overton resumed with a heavy roller and brighter skies, India hoped to spark a miracle and help Shubman Gill avoid a series loss on his debut tour.
After an intense five-match Test series, both India and England will now enjoy a well-deserved break. England’s home red-ball season comes to a close, with their next assignments being a white-ball series against South Africa in September, followed by the high-stakes Ashes in Australia later this year. India, on the other hand, turn their attention to the Asia Cup next month and will then prepare for a home Test series against the West Indies in October. Though this series has ended, there’s still plenty of cricket ahead. The second Test between Zimbabwe and New Zealand begins on Thursday, while West Indies take...
India’s captain, Shubman Gill, has been named the Player of the Series, with the honour conferred by England coach Brendon McCullum. Receiving his medal and a bottle of champagne, Gill was all smiles during the post-series chat. He called the series “fantastic,” noting that every match went down to the final day, reflecting the intensity and quality both sides brought. He praised his bowlers, especially Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, saying their efforts made his job as captain easier and their response under pressure was brilliant. Gill shared that despite being tested on Day 4, the team remained confident and knew England...
Mohammed Siraj was named Player of the Match for his superb 9-wicket haul—4 in the first innings and 5 in the second. Speaking to Dinesh Karthik, who helped translate, Siraj said he felt amazing and that the team believed from Day 1 they could pull off the win. He kept his approach simple: bowl in the right areas and let the wickets come. He shared that he woke up with belief in himself and even downloaded a motivational quote from Google that read “Believe.” Reflecting on the dropped catch of Brook, he called it a turning point, admitting that had he...
India’s man of the moment, Mohammed Siraj, joined Dinesh Karthik for a post-match chat and shared insights into his mindset during the tense final overs. Siraj said his sole focus was on hitting the right areas and he wasn’t too worried about conceding boundaries, as his main goal was to take wickets for the country. Speaking about the crucial moment involving Harry Brook’s dropped catch, Siraj admitted he didn’t realise he had stepped on the boundary cushion while taking it. He called it a turning point, noting how Brook shifted into T20 mode right after. Despite India falling behind in the...