THE perseverant Mohammed Siraj’s warrior spirit steered India to a series-levelling six-run victory over England in the fifth and final Test here on Monday, bringing a fitting end to one of the most intensely-fought and drama-filled showdowns in recent times. With four wickets in hand and 35 runs to get, England held the edge before start of play but the gladiator in Siraj made life hell for the opposition batters from ball one. In the end, his effort, complemented quite well by Prasidh Krishna at the other end, left England short by the thinnest of margins and allowed India to sign off 2-2 in the high-pressure five-match rubber.

 

Siraj was deservedly adjudged player of the match for his nine-wicket match haul for the team that was missing its regular pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in this game due to his workload management. “I woke up in the morning and checked google on my phone and took out a ‘Believe’ emoji wallpaper and told myself that I will do it for the country,” the effervescent 31-year-old said.