Mohammed Siraj stepped up when India needed him the most as his heroics helped the Indian team beat England by six runs in the final Test and draw level in the five-match series.
With Bumrah out of action due to workload management, one of Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep had to step up in the all-important must-win clash. While Krishna and Akash Deep had their moments of brilliance, Siraj turned out to be the protagonist.
After picking up four wickets in the first innings, which prevented England from taking a massive lead, the Hyderabadi bowler clinched a fifer in the second innings and secured India a historic win from the jaws of defeat.
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However, Siraj could have turned the villain for the Indian fans, who are now celebrating the bowler's amazing last-day spell, as he had earlier missed Harry Brook's simple catch.
How Mohammed Siraj turned hero to zero in the 5th at the Oval?
After losing three wickets for just 106 runs, England came under pressure on the fourth day when Harry Brook walked in to bat in the middle.
From there onwards, Brook and Root were building a solid partnership, but India had the golden opportunity to break it in the 35th minute, when Brook attempted a big hit through long-leg but Siraj was in the perfect position to take the catch.
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While the pacer did grab the ball convincingly at first, his right foot fumbled and stepped outside the boundary line. Brook was awarded a six as Siraj was quick to issue an apology to Krishna.
Out? Six!?
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 3, 2025
What's Siraj done 😱 pic.twitter.com/hp6io4X27l
The mistake could have proven costly as the English duo put up 195 runs for the fifth wicket and at one point, the hosts needed just 73 runs with seven wickets in hand.
However, it was Siraj who made amends for his earlier mistake and ran riot against the English tail on Day 5 and eventually guided India to a memorable win at the Oval.
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What did Mohammed Siraj say about Harry Brook's drop catch?
After the match, Siraj admitted he felt that the match was over, but he also claimed that he had self-belief to turn things around on Day 5.
Speaking to the broadcaster, Siraj said: "I thought when I dropped the Brook catch, the match was over - that was the game-changing moment. But when I woke up this morning, I told myself that I will be the game changer."
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