From Lord's Agony to Oval's Heroics, story of Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj's journey in the recently concluded high-voltage Anderson Tendulkar Trophy has been a tale of redemption. From the heartbreak at the Lord's, which saw him getting undone in one of the most unfortunate ways, to making India roar back to life in the Oval Test despite giving Harry Brook a huge let-off, his journey has surely inspired billions around the world. In the absence of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, Siraj bowled his heart out, bowling a marathon 186 overs and ended up excelling far better than the no. 1-ranked test bowler, by concluding the series with 23 wickets. 

Although India did not end up winning the series, Siraj certainly gave England a good run for their money. As Ryan ten Doeschate described him, Siraj's lion-hearted hostile spell of bowling kept England batters in check and provided India with timely dismissals. And let's not forget, Siraj gave Brook a huge lifeline when he was batting at the Kia Oval on 19. He knew that another heartbreak was certainly on the cards. But when he got the ball in hand, he seized the opportunity and teamed up with Prasidh Krishna to wind up the English tail in one of the most unbelievable fashion.

See also: 'I wish I didn't...'- Harry Brook reflects on his poor decision during ENG vs IND 5th Test at Kennington Oval

Siraj's heroic show obliterates England in the Kia Oval Test

After miraculously drawing the Manchester Test from an unlikely situation, the team turned up once again, this time at the Kia Oval, with a vision to save the series. Bumrah opted to rest, citing workload management issues, which meant all the onus was back on Siraj once again. He had to spearhead the raw Indian pace attack with Prasidh and Akash Deep in the ranks. 

And so he did. After India were bundled out for 224, the Indian quicks took a bit of pounding at the hands of Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley early doors. The English duo were dismissive in their approach and registered a rapid 92-run stand for the first wicket inside the 11th over. A comeback from that point seemed unthinkable, but Siraj proved everyone wrong. He teamed up with Krishna and helped India stage a spirited fightback. Although there was some reckless shot selection on England's part, Siraj kept his intensity up,  taking crucial scalps at key stages of the game to disrupt England's momentum. In the end, the pair finished with a combined tally of eight wickets with Siraj picking up the final wicket of Brook to prevent England from eking out a massive first innings lead. 

Moving on to England's second innings, Siraj found himself becoming the talk of the town, but for all the wrong reasons. He straight away made headlines when he put down Brook near the fine leg boundary while he was batting on only 19. A player of such calibre cashed in and made India pay as he, along with Root, scripted a monumental 195-run stand to virtually bat India out of the game.

But the end of the partnership gave England a momentary setback, and that is when Siraj found a window of opportunity to make the necessary amends.  When the chips were down, Siraj made a last-ditch effort to make up for his huge blunder, and his moment came on the fifth day of the final test. As soon as the second new ball was handed over to him, it was curtains for England.  He left no stone unturned and launched a scathing attack, along with Prasidh, to suffocate England's lower order. 

The 31-year-old got the ball rolling by having the in-form Jamie Smith fend at a widish delivery, which zipped through off the surface and brushed the outside edge of his bat. A couple of overs later, he cleaned up Josh Tongue with an absolute beauty, pegging his middle stump back.  Then came the big moment of redemption, which truly redefined his aura and legacy. Under immense pressure, Siraj nailed a perfect yorker against a threatening Gus Atkinson, who tried to heave across the line but was completely undone by the sheer brilliance of that delivery. His demise brought an end to the match, and England agonizingly fell short by six runs. 

Relive the glorious moment here:

Siraj has more overseas Test wickets than Bumrah 

Bowler	Wickets
Mohammed Siraj (IND)	104
Jasprit Bumrah (IND)	102
Kagiso Rabada (SA)	82
Mitchell Starc (AUS)	73

Prior to the start of the series, it was believed that Bumrah would be the one who would play the role of an aggressor and do the bulk of the heavy lifting with the ball, while Siraj would play the second fiddle. But surprisingly, it panned out to be the exact opposite. Contrary to the beliefs that were held at the start, Bumrah could not come close to replicating the wonders of Siraj. Though he starred with a five-fer in the Headingly test, it was Siraj and his exploits that helped India win matches.

In fact, as astonishing as it may sound, India never secured a single victory in a game in which Bumrah was a part of. After walking away triumphantly with 23 wickets to his tally, Siraj has now bettered his overseas figures and has gone past Bumrah (102) to become the highest overseas wicket-taker (104) in the Test format. 

It was a series that had it all! Drama, controversies, close encounters, individual brilliance, you name it. Siraj has certainly given his fan base a lot to cheer about, and as he walks away as a hero, one thing stands out. The Indian pace attack will no longer be overly reliant on the services of Bumrah alone, and it is about time that the Indian management gives him the attention he needs to hone his skills further in the longest format.