When Mohammed Siraj charged in to bowl the first ball of the 86th over, just six runs stood between India and a famous win. On his 1,113th delivery of the series, he unleashed his fifth-fastest ball of the tour \u2014 a 143 kmph yorker that evaded Gus Atkinson\u2019s attempted hoick and crashed into the base of the off-stump.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
As India sealed a dramatic six-run win to level the series 2-2, Siraj broke into his trademark \u201csiuuu\u201d celebration \u2014 a nod to his footballing idol Cristiano Ronaldo \u2014 and looked upwards with arms aloft, and soaking in the feeling of making India win just 57 minutes into day five.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Ronaldo had been on Siraj\u2019s mind when he woke up restless at 6am ahead of the final day\u2019s play and did a Google search for the \u2018believe\u2019 wallpaper to fuel his desire of making India win. With the Indian-dominated crowd erupting in joy and teammates rushing to embrace him, Siraj had not only redeemed himself after his Lord\u2019s heartbreak and a dropped catch of Harry Brook on day four \u2014 he had led India to a win etched forever in their Test cricket folklore.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Finishing as the leading wicket-taker of the series with 23 scalps, Siraj bowled a mammoth 185.3 overs across five Tests \u2014 30.1 of those in the final innings at The Oval. Spell after spell, on differing pitches, he bent his back and never lost his fire.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThis has been a breakthrough series for Siraj. When people talk about playing with a big heart, I'm not surprised because we've seen it. He's been playing Test cricket for 5\u20136 years and we've all known that you would get nothing but 100% from him every time. So, it was on the expected lines. But the other things stood out for sure.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIn the first Test match, he didn't bowl well. I thought he was trying to bowl too many balls and got carried away in trying to swing the ball in the English conditions. But then after that \u2013 second, third, fourth Test matches \u2013 he didn't really bowl too many outswingers. He was bowling those wobble deliveries because that would give him more control.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cBut then again, comes the last innings of the fifth Test match, he again started bowling the away swingers. So, again, to kind of do something that hasn't really worked a lot because this series, apart from the last Test match, that outswinger hasn't really worked for him. If you look at his wickets, it's predominantly bowled and lbw. So, to kind of again go back and to bowl the away swingers, it's phenomenal. No two ways about it,\u201d said Deep Dasgupta, former India wicketkeeper-batter, in an exclusive conversation with IANS.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In the two Tests, where Jasprit Bumrah was unavailable, Siraj stepped up as the bowling leader, taking 16 wickets at an average of 19.81. \u201cMore than the heart for Siraj \u2013 I felt it was the leadership aspect standing out. You could see him talking to Prasidh, Akash Deep, other bowlers and kind of leading the pack, so to say. So, you could see the leadership qualities in him and using the brains in terms of what ball to bowl, when to bowl, staying calm, and having that emotional balance.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWhen everything is so emotionally charged around you \u2013 to stay calm and do the basics right is one of the toughest things to do because obviously there's so much happening around. So you just kind of block all of those emotions and focus well on the skills bit under pressure,\u201d added Dasgupta, who was on TV and radio commentary duties during the 2-2 drawn series.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Now back home in Hyderabad, Siraj is spending quality time with his mother Shabana Begum and brother Ismail. Mohammed Mahboob Ahmed, who first mentored Siraj at Charminar Cricket Club in 2014, said the buzz around the fast bowler in Hyderabad has been electric since The Oval win, adding that he plans to meet him soon.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI wanted Siraj to bowl on the stumps, because if he would do that, the batter will make a mistake. Fortunately, he hit the ball on the stumps at the right time and on the right spot to win the match for India. By that time, the batsmen were afraid of Siraj's name and once he got Atkinson\u2019s wicket, I felt so, so great. Irrespective of the player having a big heart or not to play the game, Siraj\u2019s skill has always been great and that\u2019s something which has taken him so far in cricket,\u201d Ahmed told IANS in an exclusive conversation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Seeing Siraj earn adulation for his heroics transported Ahmed back in time to the early days when the youngster was looking to transition from tennis-ball to leather-ball bowling. The family\u2019s situation back then was tough - his father, the late Mohammed Ghaus, drove an autorickshaw, while his mother worked as a domestic help in homes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cOnce we had our Hyderabad Cricket Association matches and the ground was very far, 30\u201340 kms away. I used to pay him 1500\u20132000 rupees for petrol so that he could play the club\u2019s every match. I also provided him with shoes and kit bag, as well as all the facilities. He was a very good boy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI knew that he would make a name for himself in the future. Now it's there for everyone to see as he bowled very well, and we enjoyed seeing him excel in the game. We want him to reach further heights in his cricketing career and may Allah bless his family always,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
At a time when workload management dominates conversations, Siraj has played more Tests than any other Indian since his debut. He\u2019s an old-school fast bowler in a modern era \u2014 all heart, full effort, regardless of the format. Ahmed credits this durability to Siraj\u2019s discipline and dedication from the starting days.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIn the time he has been with the Indian team in the last 7-8 years, we have never heard that he was injured, and that\u2019s the sign of his real fitness. He has been working hard on it since his early days. Till this date, he has never been injured or complained that he has experienced some pain, which shows he has maintained his fitness and professionalism.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHe got a good and stable coach-cum-mentor in Bharat Arun and has hugely benefitted from the great influence of Virat Kohli. Being around Kohli changed Siraj\u2019s life and its effect is that he has become very disciplined in all matters.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cSeeing all the praise for his hard work and wickets taken in England, I feel it\u2019s all a part of his naseeb (fate). No one could have taken this from him and it was in his naseeb to see these days. May the Almighty always bless him with every kind of happiness,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHe got a good and stable coach-cum-mentor in Bharat Arun and has hugely benefitted from the great influence of Virat Kohli. Being around Kohli changed Siraj\u2019s life and its effect is that he has become very disciplined in all matters.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
At a time when India was looking for a hero to take them to victory, Siraj did more than just showing up - he stood tall and put in every ounce of his energy to be at the forefront of a win that will be remembered for long in India\u2019s Test cricket history.<\/p>\r\n\r\n