Mohammed Siraj’s journey in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy was nothing short of resilience, and raw emotion. From despair at Lord's to triumph at The Oval, the Hyderabad pacer experienced a rollercoaster of moments. Siraj finished as the top wicket-taker of the series, with 23 wickets to his name an outstanding effort, especially in the absence of India's pace spearhead, Jasprit Bumrah.
After helping India win the fifth Test Siraj revealed about blaming himself for dropping Harry Brook's catch. He said, “To be honest, I cannot describe my emotions. When I was going to sleep after stumps on Day 4, I kept thinking about the dropped catch of Harry Brook. I was just thinking, 'How could I have done such a thing?' If I had taken it cleanly, we wouldn't be here right now. We would have been chilling in our hotel rooms,”
After being dropped on 19 runs, Brook went on to score a brilliant 111, putting England in pole position to seal the series. However, once he departed, India's bowlers found a second wind.
Mohammed Siraj reflects on his performance during India vs England 5th Test.
Reflecting on his performance and the turnaround in fortunes, Siraj credited belief and teamwork. He said, “But I guess it was God's plan. The result is there for everyone to see. I wake up in the morning, I knew that I could make it happen. I always had the belief in myself. I put the 'believe' wallpaper on my phone. I just want to thank everyone. Every batter, bowler, hats off to them. This comeback was crazy,”.
Siraj, who went viral earlier during the T20 World Cup for his statement “I only believe in Jassi Bhai,” further added, “I missed Jassi Bhai. He has a different presence about himself. I only believe in Jassi bhai and myself,” . Siraj turned the tide in India’s favor by delivering a match-winning spell, the 31-year-old claimed five wickets in England’s second innings to hand India a nail-biting six-run victory and level the series 2-2. But this win wasn’t without its own set of nervy moments.
