Boria Majumdar in London
There were a few comments on our post-play show yesterday, which said it was because of Mohammed Siraj that India could lose the Oval Test. Yes, it is true that he had dropped the catch of Harry Brook at a critical time in the game. It is also true that this could well be the turning point in hindsight. But India did not or will not lose because of one dropped catch. India will lose, if they eventually go down that is, because the bowling unit except Siraj wasn’t able to deliver when it mattered.
And that’s what brings me to Siraj. If anything, he is a hero. He is India’s standout performer in this series. Someone who has played all five games, bowled more overs than anyone and picked up more wickets than anyone can’t be anything but a hero.
In fact, it was Siraj who was the leader at the Oval in the post-tea session. With the match almost gone, it was surprising to see him yet again taking the ball and continuing to run in. We were questioning how much can he do and will he not collapse after a point? And the moment Jacob Bethell was out, Siraj got into the act. He started to get the crowd going. After every ball, he would run in to speak to Prasidh Krishna and while settling down in his position at mid-on, he would start to clap and gesticulate to the crowd. Within minutes, the cheers were loud enough for the drama to reach its crescendo. It further intensified once Joe Root was out to a spectacular catch by Dhruv Jurel.
Soon after the sixth wicket fell, the crowd had found voice. And the ringmaster was Siraj. Not only was he bowling a fantastic spell, defying the laws of workload management and human effort, he was also orchestrating a massive Indian turnaround in the stadium. The truth is Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton were both visibly nervous and had the rain not come at that point, anything could have happened. Once again, Siraj was leading the charge. Time and again Smith was beaten and it seemed a matter of balls that an edge would be induced.
This is the Mohammed Siraj of the Oval. And yes, India will not lose because of him. Rather, if a youngster wants to model him or herself on someone, the person should be Siraj. A player who can do everything for the team. As Morne Morkel pointed out at the press conference, when Siraj was asked if he was ready to play the Test and if his workload wasn’t too much, his answer was he was determined to play for the team and that’s where it ended.
Siraj is a warrior and a role model. I wish there were more like him for if there was, we could have won this series. Someone who would bowl the first and last ball of the series with the same intensity. Just hope the cricket gods are a tad kinder on him today and allow the miracle to happen. He deserves it. Really does.
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