London: India pacers rose to the occasion as they bundled out England for 367 to win the fifth and final Test at The Oval on Monday by 6 runs and level the five-match series 2-2.It was a thrilling end to the Test series that was fought well. India pacers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna shared nine wickets among them in England’s second essay and also took the final four wickets. Siraj, who led the attack in the absence of pace spread-head Jasprit Bumrah, cleaned up Gus Atkinson, as celebrations erupted in the Indian camp.This has been a series to remember for Siraj, who hails from Hyderabad. It was a full circle for Siraj, who was dismissed in the third Test, as a result of which England went 2-1 ahead in the series. Today, Siraj emerged as a hero and bagged the Player Of The Match Award.
It was an exciting day of Test cricket on Monday – the fifth and the final day of the fifth Test, and credit must be given to an injured Chris Woakes, who walked out in the middle, despite an injured shoulder.Knowing that Woakes cannot bat with an injured shoulder, Atkinson took a single on the final ball of the over bowled by Prasidh Krishna, and England needed another seven runs to win. But Siraj, a right-arm speedster, did the magic with a peach of a ball, and Atkinson had no answer to it. Siraj also ended up with a five-wicket haul while Prasidh Krishna bagged four wickets.
Siraj was in his elements as he dismissed both overnight batters – Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton in quick succession. Josh Tongue walked in and joined Atkinson. But his stay at the crease was cut short by Prasidh. Then it was left to Atkinson to take the hosts home, but he faltered. While India won the second and the fifth Test, England won the first and the third Test.
Post the game, an emotional Siraj told official broadcasters, “To be honest, it feels amazing. We wanted to fight hard from Day 1, and to see this result is great. The plan was to keep it simple and hit one spot. When I woke up today, I believed that I could do it. If I had taken that (Harry Brook) catch properly, probably we may not have had to come today. But Brook played really well. It was a heart-breaking moment.”
Test veteran Cheteswar Pujara hailed the effort by the Indian team. India T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav also lauded the team. To sum up, it was Test cricket at its peak!