Man with the golden arm

London: In what could be termed as one of the greatest climaxes in the history of Test cricket, India managed to level the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy 2-2 with pacer Mohammed Siraj starring in an epic finale on the final day of the fifth Test.

Going by Harry Brook’s words, England imagined an easy win; however, to knock off the remaining 35 runs with tailenders in the middle was always going to be a bit dicey. India, too, needed something extraordinary to pull it off. And that miracle man turned out to be Siraj. Whenever the pacer rolled his arm over, England’s desired outcome perished little by little.

“I thought we’ll easily take it home in the morning, but the way Siraj bowled, he deserved the success today. Siraj has had a phenomenal series and a finish,” said Brook, who made a splendid 111. He was also chosen by India head coach Gautam Gambhir as England’s Player of the Series.

No doubt Siraj’s five-for – and his match haul of nine wickets – was instrumental in India’s thrilling six-run victory. Given the workhorse he is, it is only fitting that the final day of the final Test belonged to him.

After 185.3 overs of Test match bowling and 23 wickets, with match-winning performances in games where there was no Jasprit Bumrah by his side, Siraj has created his own lasting legacy.

“Body is fine...I don’t care if it’s the sixth or the ninth over for me. I don’t bowl for myself, it is for my country,” Siraj said. “I have worked very hard for it. If you are part of an 11 from 1.4 billion people, then you need to be honest about the game and work on it. Belief is necessary,” he said.

“My only plan was to bowl in good areas. Didn’t matter if I took wickets or went for runs,” Siraj added.

His heroics also prompted captain Shubman Gill to sing his praises. “Siraj is a captain’s dream. Gave it his all every ball and every spell he bowled. 2-2 is a fair reflection. It shows how passionate both teams were and how well they played,” said Gill, who was India’s Player of the Series with 754 runs and four hundreds.

Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan praised Siraj’s grit, tweeting: “Iron body with heart of a Lion. Mohammed Siraj.”