Mohammed Siraj once again proved to be the hero for India, delivering a stunning victory at The Oval by dismantling England’s hopes with five crucial wickets.
After a nail-biting finish, Siraj bowled out England for 367, securing a narrow 6-run win and leveling the Anderson-Tendulkar Test series.
Chasing a target of 374 on the final day, England needed just 35 runs with four wickets in hand.
In a tense last 10 overs in front of a packed crowd, Siraj struck decisively, bowling out England captain Stuart Broad’s successor, Gus Atkinson, to clinch the win. This 6-run victory is India’s smallest margin of runs in Test cricket history.
Atkinson came close to securing a miraculous win for England. After England lost their ninth wicket at 357, Chris Woakes walked in with his left arm bandaged under his sweater.
Atkinson’s brilliant tactical batting kept Woakes off strike for 13 consecutive balls, even managing to retain strike through the last two balls of successive overs. However, Siraj ended Atkinson’s heroics by bowling him out, denying him the glory.
Siraj also prevented Woakes from making an impact, forcing the injured left-hander to come out and bat under pressure. After Josh Tong was bowled by Prasidh Krishna, Woakes took the crease with his bandaged arm concealed, but Atkinson kept strike for most of the remaining overs.
Earlier in the day, England’s Jamie Overton started aggressively, smashing consecutive fours off Prasidh Krishna, quickly reducing the target to 27 runs. Siraj struck back by dismissing Jamie Smith caught by Indian wicketkeeper Dhrubajyoti Jurel.
Siraj’s relentless bowling continued to trouble England batsmen, claiming the wicket of Overton through a leg-before decision after an umpire’s review. England fell to 354/8, just 20 runs shy of victory.
Despite Josh Tong surviving a close leg-before call, Atkinson provided some resistance, scoring 17 runs off 29 balls. But Siraj’s fiery bowling ended the match in India’s favor.
This remarkable performance not only earned India a dramatic victory but also helped redeem Siraj after his costly six the previous day, cementing his place as India’s match-winner.
