After India’s thrilling victory over England in the final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval, England head coach Brendon McCullum initially named Shubman Gill as his pick for Player of the Series. However, by the end of Day 5, he had a change of heart. Dinesh Karthik, who was part of the Sky Cricket commentary panel, revealed how McCullum shifted his vote to Mohammed Siraj following the fast bowler’s incredible performance on the final day.
“If the match had finished yesterday (Day 4), Shubman Gill would have been the Player of the Series,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz. “Brendon McCullum had picked Shubman Gill. And obviously, Atherton [Mike Atherton] was the one doing the presentation. So, he had all the questions ready. Everything was for Shubman Gill.”
Siraj took three of the four wickets on Day 5, helping India clinch a historic six-run win over England — their narrowest in Test history. He also finished as the highest wicket taker of the series. But the award went to Gill for scoring the most runs.
“Baz McCullum turned it around in a matter of half an hour, 40 minutes – to Mohammed Siraj,” Karthik added. “He even spoke about him in the post-match chat with Sky Sports – about how he enjoyed watching Siraj bowl and all the eloquent things he had to say about him.”
McCullum praised Siraj, saying, “He’s got that spirit you want to see in a fast bowler. Every time he had the ball in hand, there was energy. You could see how much it meant to him. It was one of those spells that can change a series, and today, it really did.”
Karthik summed it up: “When Jasprit Bumrah plays, India should win. Otherwise, they are going to find it hard… But the fact is that when he wasn’t around, Mohammed Siraj stepped up. Showed what it takes to win.”
For latest sports updates: Follow RevSportz