Sharmistha Gooptu in London
I eat my words. Yesterday I had written in my diary that this is a game of cricket and not a Bollywood film, so magic doesn’t happen in the last half hour, nor do a single human move mountains!
And today as I sat writing the name of God almighty as many times as I could on the word app in my phone, a miracle blessed the Indian side and magic did happen. And a single human in the form of Mohammed, a Siraj, carried the side to victory in this Test on his shoulders. Prasidh Krishna played a key role with his wickets but it was the line warrior in Siraj who made the whole of India in this stadium rally together. Cries were for India and Siraj, every time he started to bowl an over we knew he would make something happen. And he did!
Also Read: 2-2, Mohammed Siraj rises from a cult hero to an icon
Siraj is raw emotion. When he stepped over the boundary yesterday and lost the catch we could see him overcome with guilt. By the end of the day, his body language showed he was going to give it his best till the last breath, that he was not one to give up on hope. If anything, this spirit and passion and hope is what kept him going. It’s the sheer human spirit that we have seen here in Siraj today.
It was so close that hearts were in our mouths, the England and India fans rubbing shoulders alternately rising and clutching their heads through the last intense hour here at The Oval.
Indians are jubilant but England fought well and the Indian media stood up to acknowledge Chris Woakes as he came in to bat with a sling on his arm. It’s been a series full of intense emotions, and today, in true Bollywood style the Indians have worked a desi magic. It all happened in the last hour — like in Karan Johar’s movies!
Follow Revsportz for latest sports news