Mohammed Siraj picked 23 wickets, playing all the five Tests in the series.
Mohammed Siraj was the toast of the Indian team as his relentless grit and never-say-die attitude helped India register a narrow win of 6 runs over England in the fifth and final Test at the Oval on August 4, 2025. Thanks to this win, India also managed to level the five-Test series 2-2 with a win in Edgbaston as well.
Sent in to bat first, India managed 224 in their opening innings, with Karun Nair top-scoring with 57. England’s Gus Atkinson was the standout bowler, claiming 5 for 33. In response, England posted 247 to gain a slender 18-run lead, thanks to four-wicket hauls from both Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna.
India responded with a strong second-innings effort, piling up 396 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal led the charge with a superb 118, supported by crucial half-centuries from Akash Deep, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar. This set England a stiff target of 374.
England seemed to be in the driver’s seat thanks to Joe Root and Harry Brook hitting fighting centuries. But the hosts faltered on the final day, needing 35 runs with four wickets in hand, and fell agonizingly short by just six runs. Siraj starred again with figures of 5 for 104, while Krishna added four more to his tally, securing a famous win for India.
Mohammed Siraj was named Player of the Match, while Harry Brook earned both England's Player of the Match and the Player of the Series honours. Shubman Gill was recognized as India’s Player of the Series.
Mohammed Siraj spoke at the presentation ceremony and stated that he had the belief that he could do it on the final day. This came after it was mentioned that he had dropped the catch of Harry Brook, who slammed 111 and took the game away from India on day four, with his 195-run partnership with Joe Root.
“To be honest, it feels amazing. From Day 1, everyone fought hard, and the result is there to see. Very happy. The plan was to keep it simple and hit a consistent spot. Not try too much, and if I can get wickets from there, it's a bonus and builds pressure. When I woke up today, I had the belief that I could do it; I had the belief system. I took a photo from Google, which read I can do it and put it as my wallpaper.
If I had taken that (Brook) catch properly, probably we may not have had to come today. It was a game-changing moment. But Brook played really well, hats off to him for playing attacking cricket,” Siraj said during the presentation ceremony.
He also spoke about the Lord’s Test heartbreak, when he was the last batter dismissed as India lost by 22 runs.
“It was a heartbreaking moment (The Lord's loss). He (Jadeja) was just telling me to play with a straight bat and middle the ball. He told me to remember my Father and the hard work he put in to get me here,” Siraj concluded.
Mohammed Siraj picked 23 wickets in the series, playing all five Tests.