As the ball trickled out of what seemed an impregnable defence to knock off the bail at Lord’s, Mohammed Siraj sank to his knees to mourn a loss which he hadn’t envisaged till then.
The 193-run target had seemed within reach as Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja put on an astonishing fightback for the final wicket. Ben Stokes and Ben Duckett offered a helping hand but Siraj seemed inconsolable in the end.
“Some matches stay with you, not for the outcome, but for what they teach,” he posted on social media.
Twentyone days later, it was redemption time for Siraj in London, at The Oval, a venue which is around six miles away from the Home of Cricket. With six runs needed, Siraj uprooted the base of Gus Atkinson’s off stump with a yorker in his 47th over of the Test before breaking into his trademark Siuu celebration.
Here was a moment to cherish for a man who had single-handedly spearheaded the attack in the two Tests India won on the tour. Both the victories had come without Jasprit Bumrah, but Siraj didn’t buckle under the pressure of expectations or workload.
Even on occasions in this series when Bumrah wasn’t his own self, Shubman Gill would turn to Siraj for his sheer ability to deliver untiringly in an arsenal surviving on threadbare experience.
The rewards were forthcoming. The man of the match in the series-levelling victory finished with 23 wickets in nine innings, the most among the two teams and four
more than his nearest competitor, Josh Tongue.
For 185.3 overs, he delivered with unflagging consistency, never dropping in pace or rhythm. It was also because of his dynamic spirit that bowlers often benefited at the other end while his labour went unnoticed.
He always dared to pick up a fight in the heat and fury of the battlefield. His efficacy has often been lost in the glow of a Bumrah or a Mohammed Shami. There was never any doubting of his craft or skill, but in this series, he has been able to deliver what counts most in Indian cricket: availability.
He pours his mind and emotions into his bowling and can steam in and deliver at 140-plus kmph without fail. His body of steel and a strong-willed nature were the survival kit on this tour.
He showed his leadership qualities, too, often guiding a young Prasidh Krishna or Akash Deep with valuable inputs. But he remained the ever-smiling assassin who
was ready to be combative and belligerent every time England threatened to snatch
the initiative.
The fast bowler also carries the image of being a pantomime villain for wearing his heart on his sleeve, a trait which has come in for praise from the opposition, too.
“He’s a character. He’s a warrior, a real warrior. He’s someone you want on your team; he’s that kind of character. He gives everything for India,” Joe Root said after facing his wrath in the second innings at The Oval.
“The way he approaches cricket, he’s got this fake-angriness about him sometimes, which I can see right through. You can tell he’s a really nice lad,” said Root.
What were his thoughts going into the final day with England needing 35 runs and India four wickets?
“I woke up in the morning and checked Google on my phone and took out a ‘Believe’ emoji wallpaper and told myself that I will do it for the country,” Siraj told Dinesh Karthik after the victory.
He believed and delivered the knockout punch. The defining image from the series has to be Siraj’s yorker which rattled Atkinson’s stumps at 143kmph.