IND vs ENG 5th Test: Mohammed Siraj - The Last Man Standing
TimesofIndia.com in London: "
Mohammed Siraj
has one muscle that's bigger than anyone else... his heart."
These were the words of Varun Aaron during commentary but these were the sentiments of everyone watching from the stands at The Oval or home.
Another lion-hearted spell, another outing of honest effort and Mohammed Siraj showed why he continues to be a rare breed.
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It wasn't a spell where you would stand up and applaud a delivery for sheer skill or work of art. It wasn't a spell where the seam position after release would become muse for the photographers. And, it clearly wasn't a spell where the mischief from the pitch came to his support. It was, however, another spell from the maverick playing his fifth consecutive Test, which had intent written all over it.
When he hits the rhythm, like he did during that eight-over burst post Lunch, he turns into a different beast and the ball behaves differently than it had done all day, even from the same spot. That extra effort, even in the fifth Test of the series where he has already sent down over 150 overs, is not just a reflection of his skill but a testament of his character, which he wears on his sleeve.
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Those three wickets in the second session ran through the opposition middle-order and allowed India to fight their way back into the game after a very ordinary start with the new ball.
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But the moment the ball lost its shine, the 31-year-old looked in far more control and kept pinging the right areas, and the effort took care of the rest.
Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jacob Bethell didn't survive the frentic period of play. While the first two were undone by sharp inward movement and those extra yards after pitching, Bethell had no clue about the inswinging yorker which trapped him right in front. That yorker was fired in his seventh straight over of the spell but he had his tail up and the spring in the stride continued for one more over before captain Shubman Gill got him off the attack.
It was another unreal effort by the bowler who has given it his all in different conditions and situations throughout the series. He has been the workhorse for the Indian team in their second consecutive five-Test series and served another reminder of why he needs to be celebrated, and appreciated even more. Siraj is one player who shouldn't be judged on just wickets, strike-rate and other numerical readings.
Poll
What do you think is Mohammed Siraj's greatest attribute as a bowler?
Skill and technique
Heart and determination
Fitness and stamina
Tactical awareness
He puts his heart and soul every time he steps onto the field for the team, and there clearly are no half-measures.
He had thanked the almighty for blessing him with good fitness but more than the blessings, it's his will, drive and energy which keeps him going. And kept him going on an overcast afternoon at The Oval. In a series where bowlers from both teams have been rotated, managed and preserved, Siraj has remained an exception who has run in hard every single time.
The right-armer is a proper team man, captain's dream and opposition's nightmare as he doesn't give an inch as far as effort is concerned. There are off days, erratic spells, lack of rhythm but no dearth of intent. While others keep their biomechanics in check for these marathon outings, Siraj doesn't need to complicate. For him, it's all about putting his heart behind the ball every time he stands on top of the bowling mark.
He has already done it on 932 occasions in the series, and looks ready to go all in one last time in the second essay.
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