How Mohammed Siraj Became India’s Quiet Strength in 3 Dream Wins?
Mohammed Siraj has been the key player for India's bowling line-up, delivering when the team needs it the most. Through this, he has played a crucial role in India's three historic Test wins, including the one they recently achieved by defeating England at Edgbaston.
When Mohammed Siraj posted on his Instagram, saying, “Ground me khauf cha raha hai, Suna hai Mohammed Siraj Ground me aa raha hai,” he was serious. Siraj has now been the pinnacle of Team India’s bowling attack, especially when it comes to the crucial matches.
Recently, when India faced England at Edgbaston after suffering a loss in the first Test, Siraj pulled out his inner beast once again to showcase why he is the workhorse of the Indian team. In the first innings, he took 6 wickets, finishing as the highest wicket-taker and marking his best bowling spell in England.
In the overseas dominance of the Indian team, which has been seen by the fans over the past few years, Siraj has surely been a part of the historic wins. After the win in Edgbaston, he also said:
This is the third best match of my life — first Gabba in 2021 then Lord’s in 2021 & now at Edgbaston.
And it surely is true, as all the Test matches mentioned by DSP Siraj have been historic for the Indian team in the Test format. But his contribution in those matches remained overlooked, marking him as an underrated player for the team in all of its historic wins involving him. Let’s take a look at the three dream wins secured by India, where Siraj shone with the ball.
India vs Australia 2020-21: 4th Test
Among all the historic wins secured by the Indian team lately, fans can surely not forget the Gabba win, which came under the captaincy of Ajinkya Rahane. During the India tour of Australia 2020-21, the team didn’t get a good start, losing the first match, after which Captain Kohli was also not available for the remaining matches.
India staged an impressive comeback in the second match of the series, as the third match resulted in a draw. Now, it was all for the final match, as both teams clashed at the Gabba, which is also known as the stronghold of the Australian side.
In the Gabba match, India were sent to bowl first, and the bowlers didn’t seem to have an upper hand. Siraj was able to give the team some confidence early, as he dismissed David Warner at a score of just one. But this was also the only wicket Siraj was able to take in the first innings of the game.
It should be noted that he remained economical throughout his spells, conceding just 77 runs in 28 overs, with 10 maidens. This was just his debut series, and he showcased why he is set to dominate for the Indian team, not only in the home games but also in the away games.
Australia scored 369 runs in the first innings, and for India, the batsmen were able to score runs consistently. But still, the team was able to score 336, falling short by 33 runs to level the scores. Even when India stepped to bat, Siraj was able to play a cameo down the order, scoring 13 runs off just 10 balls.
Now, the Australian team already had a lead in their hands, and they were eager to set a big target against an inexperienced batting line-up of India. But Siraj had some different plans. He was not able to get wickets in his initial spells, but in the 31st over, he took the wickets of Marnus Labuschagne and Matthew Wade, shifting the momentum towards India.
Steven Smith was set on the crease, but when Siraj returned, he also took his wicket in the 55th over, tackling him with a fierce delivery. With half of the Australian team down, the debutant Siraj, at that time, played an important role, taking out 3 of the top order players.
Later, he went on to take the wicket of Mitchell Starc shortly after he came to the crease, and then he was just a wicket away from his five-wicket haul. This was completed shortly as he took the final wicket of Australia, dismissing Josh Hazlewood at the score of 9. Now, India had to chase down the target of 328.
Fortunately, the team was able to do it with ease, followed by the impactful knocks of Shubman Gill (91), Cheteshwar Pujara (56), and Rishabh Pant (89). Although fans praise the batsmen for chasing down the target, it couldn’t have been possible without Siraj, who dominated the Aussies’ top-order batsmen in the third innings.
India vs England 2021-22: 2nd Test
After having a draw in the first Test, India decided to script its biggest comeback against England in the second match, which was being played at Lord’s. Fans still can’t forget the lines said by the skipper, Virat Kohli:
For the next 60 overs, they should feel like hell over there.
India started off this match by batting first, and the team was able to post a total of 364 runs in the first innings. It was said to be a competitive total for the team, but it seemed that the English batsmen were ready to put up a storm in the second innings of the game.
England came out to bat, and Mohammed Siraj was able to strike early, dismissing Dom Sibley at the score of 11, and in the next delivery, he went on to take the wicket of Haseeb Hameed. After that, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow had a stable partnership until Siraj struck once again in the 79th over and took the wicket of Jonny Bairstow.
With England’s lower order struggling to score, Siraj took the opportunity and dismissed Ollie Robinson, who was also his last wicket in this innings. England were bowled out for 391, as the team ended with a lead, thanks to Joe Root’s century.
India came out to bat in the third innings and were keen to end the match as soon as possible. Captain Kohli took the tough decision to declare at the score of 298, and with this, England now had the target of 272 runs to chase. Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah played a crucial role with the bat to help India reach this total.
And now India had to finish the match within 60 overs, where Siraj once again took the charge with the ball. He started off by first taking the wicket of Moeen Ali in the 39th over, which was also followed by the wicket of Sam Curran in the same over. These two consecutive wickets by Siraj gave India the upper hand.
Then he shone with the ball once again in the 52nd over, an over which he’ll keep in his heart forever. Siraj dismissed Jos Buttler, the only set batsman, and went on to take the wicket of James Anderson in the second last ball of the over to finish the game for India. KL Rahul did receive the POTM award for his century, but Siraj’s four-wicket hauls in both innings can’t be denied.
India vs England 2025: Edgbaston
After these two historic wins, another one has been added to the list of dream wins of the Indian team involving Mohammed Siraj as the silent hero. India lost the first match against England at Headingley, and for the second Test, they went to Edgbaston, a ground where the Indian team hadn’t won a single Test against England.
India was sent to bat first, and they ended up scoring a massive total of 587 runs, with the help of a double century by the captain. England came out to bat in the second innings, and there were a number of questions about India’s bowling line-up, which didn’t have Jasprit Bumrah.
But Siraj took the matter into his own hands, as he started off by taking the wicket of Zak Crawley in the 8th over. That was also not the place where his wicket-taking skills were to stop, as Siraj bowled a brilliant over when he returned with another spell. In the 21st over, he was able to dismiss Joe Root and Ben Stokes on two consecutive deliveries, creating pressure on the English strikers.
Akash Deep was also able to contribute well to the wickets column in England’s first innings, as Siraj pulled up the final blows. In the 88th over, he took the wicket of Brydon Carse, which was followed by two more wickets of Josh Tongue and Shoaib Bashir, which came in the 90th over. This helped India to establish a 180-run lead in the first innings.
India went on to continue its batting dominance, as the skipper again smashed a century, which allowed India to finish at the score of 427 runs before they declared. England now had to chase down the target of 608, but were bowled out for just 271 runs. Siraj took just a wicket in this innings, but he dismissed Zak Crawley, giving an early breakthrough to the team.
It was a historic win for India, and although Akash Deep and Shubman Gill remained in the spotlight, Siraj was the lone warrior, as he led the bowling line-up from the front. He displayed that even if Bumrah is unavailable to play for the team, he is ready to take charge and deliver wickets when needed the most.
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