London [UK], August 4 : Pace spearhead Mohammed Siraj gave heartwarming replies to India batting mainstay Virat Kohli and the former South Africa tearaway Dale Steyn after he inspired India to a victory for the ages against England at The Oval.
Siraj breathed fire, chained England batters with his sharp nipping deliveries and cast a spell to steer India past the finish line with a narrow six-run triumph. After the weather gods intervened to force a premature foreclosure of the fourth day, Siraj and the rest of the Indian team had enough time to recharge their depleted batteries.
In the opening hour of the morning session, Siraj bowled in tandem with Prasidh Krishna and charged at English batters under London's gloomy sky and slight drizzle. England stood 35 runs away from victory with four wickets to spare. Siraj and Krishna spoiled the party with their blistering pace and notched up 140kph to leave England in shambles during their pursuit of a 374-run target.
Before the beginning of the Test, Steyn had prophesied a five-wicket haul for Siraj on the Oval's green strip. In the first innings, Siraj fell one scalp shy and settled for a four-wicket haul. However, in his second outing, the stars aligned in favour of the 31-year-old.
He hammered the final nail in the coffin by rattling Gus Atkinson's timber to wrap up a five-for and a six-run victory for his side, returning with figures of 9/190. Hours after India's victory, Siraj took to X and replied to Steyn's post, which read, "You asked. I delivered. Really appreciate coming from you."
Virat, who has groomed Siraj into one of the finest modern-day Test bowlers, penned a heartfelt note for the 31-year-old and wrote on X, "Great win by team india. Resilience and determination from Siraj and Prasidh has given us this phenomenal victory. Special mention to Siraj who will put everything on the line for the team. Extremely happy for him." Siraj gave a subtle reply and wrote, "Thank you bhaiya for "Believe" ing in me."
Siraj redefined the concept of workload management, bowled his heart out across the five Tests and concluded the series as the leading wicket-taker. Siraj's determination and perseverance resonated in the 1113 deliveries he bowled in five Tests to scalp 23 wickets at 32.43.