Ashok Namboodiri in Dubai
When the final ball was bowled at The Oval and the scoreboard blinked “Match Drawn, Series Levelled 2-2”, it wasn’t just the team that breathed a collective sigh of relief; it was a nation. India had battled, clawed, and held its nerve on English soil, without pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. But amid the swirl of strategy, scoreboard pressure, and overcast English skies, one name emerged as the undeniable pulse of India’s fightback: Mohammed Siraj – Player of the Match with nine wickets to his credit!
More than just a stand-in, more than just a supporting act, Siraj carved his own niche; one made of grit, fire, and a never-say-die attitude that mirrors the very soul of Indian cricket. When Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the final Test to balance the workload, many feared that India’s cutting edge would go blunt. Siraj, already seasoned by tours of Australia, South Africa, and England, was handed the new ball not just physically, but symbolically. He didn’t just take it…he owned it.
Every over he bowled was a declaration. Every ball, a question to the batter. Every spell, a reminder: India may have lost Bumrah, but it found something just as valuable — leadership. The visuals of the last ball from Shoaib Bashir to Siraj at Lord’s and the Harry Brook catch that he dropped at The Oval when the batter was on 19 finally found redemption on the last day of the series as he picked up three crcuial wickets to lead India to a six-run victory!
What’s refreshing about Siraj’s evolution is that he hasn’t tried to be a replica of anyone else. He’s not the icy assassin like Bumrah. He’s not the silent grinder like Mohammed Shami. He’s the emotionally charged, lion-hearted disruptor…more Malcolm Marshall than Glenn McGrath, more chaos than control.
Siraj is cut from the same cloth as Javagal Srinath …a fiery workhorse who bowls with purpose, passion, and pride. Both are quick, reliant on seam movement and sharp bounce rather than just raw pace. Like Srinath, Siraj thrives on momentum, rhythm, and emotion. His spells are often fiery bursts designed to rattle batters. Both bowlers use the surprise bouncer effectively, although Siraj is not the tallest. But what makes him special is that while he carries echoes of legends past, he’s forging his own legacy…one scream, one wicket, and one lion-hearted spell at a time. If Srinath was India’s engine in the 90s, Siraj is the ignition spark of this new generation.
And that’s precisely what India needed. He’s not afraid to bowl short even on docile surfaces. He thrives in the heat of the battle, using adrenaline as fuel. He doesn’t need to be perfect; he just needs to be present, and he makes something happen. He’s a bowler who cries after big wickets, who prays before bowling the last over, and who believes that every spell is a fight for respect, for redemption, for his father watching from above. He’s not here to replace anyone. He’s here to remind us that greatness isn’t always about stats. It’s about story. With 23 wickets in the series, including match-defining spells at Edgbaston and The Oval, Siraj has now moved from being the third seamer to being the heartbeat of India’s fast bowling unit.
He has earned his place not by accident, but by attitude. When you think of India’s win at The Oval in 2025, you’ll remember the scoreboard. You’ll remember the series draw that felt like a win. But above all, you’ll remember that one man, running in, heart pounding, eyes fierce not just bowling spells, but writing his own chapter in Indian cricket history. Mohammed Siraj has carved his niche. Not as a back-up. Not as a replacement. But as the man who stood tallest when it mattered most.
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