More than the heart for Siraj, it was his leadership aspect that stood out: Deep Dasgupta

New Delhi, Aug 7 On a cloudy Monday morning, The Oval resembled a colosseum. Spectators held their breath, waiting to see which way the final game of Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series would tilt – in favour of India or England?

When Mohammed Siraj charged in to bowl the first ball of the 86th over, just six runs stood between India and a famous win. On his 1,113th delivery of the series, he unleashed his fifth-fastest ball of the tour — a 143 kmph yorker that evaded Gus Atkinson’s attempted hoick and crashed into the base of the off-stump.

As India sealed a dramatic six-run win to level the series 2-2, Siraj broke into his trademark “siuuu” celebration — a nod to his footballing idol Cristiano Ronaldo — and looked upwards with arms aloft, and soaking in the feeling of making India win just 57 minutes into day five.

Ronaldo had been on Siraj’s mind when he woke up restless at 6am ahead of the final day’s play and did a Google search for the ‘believe’ wallpaper to fuel his desire of making India win. With the Indian-dominated crowd erupting in joy and teammates rushing to embrace him, Siraj had not only redeemed himself after his Lord’s heartbreak and a dropped catch of Harry Brook on day four — he had led India to a win etched forever in their Test cricket folklore.

Finishing as the leading wicket-taker of the series with 23 scalps, Siraj bowled a mammoth 185.3 overs across five Tests — 30.1 of those in the final innings at The Oval. Spell after spell, on differing pitches, he bent his back and never lost his fire.

“This has been a breakthrough series for Siraj. When people talk about playing with a big heart, I'm not surprised because we've seen it. He's been playing Test cricket for 5–6 years and we've all known that you would get nothing but 100% from him every time. So, it was on the expected lines. But the other things stood out for sure.

“In the first Test match, he didn't bowl well. I thought he was trying to bowl too many balls and got carried away in trying to swing the ball in the English conditions. But then after that – second, third, fourth Test matches – he didn't really bowl too many outswingers. He was bowling those wobble deliveries because that would give him more control.”

“But then again, comes the last innings of the fifth Test match, he again started bowling the away swingers. So, again, to kind of do something that hasn't really worked a lot because this series, apart from the last Test match, that outswinger hasn't really worked for him. If you look at his wickets, it's predominantly bowled and lbw. So, to kind of again go back and to bowl the away swingers, it's phenomenal. No two ways about it,” said Deep Dasgupta, former India wicketkeeper-batter, in an exclusive conversation with IANS.

In the two Tests, where Jasprit Bumrah was unavailable, Siraj stepped up as the bowling leader, taking 16 wickets at an average of 19.81. “More than the heart for Siraj – I felt it was the leadership aspect standing out. You could see him talking to Prasidh, Akash Deep, other bowlers and kind of leading the pack, so to say. So, you could see the leadership qualities in him and using the brains in terms of what ball to bowl, when to bowl, staying calm, and having that emotional balance.

“When everything is so emotionally charged around you – to stay calm and do the basics right is one of the toughest things to do because obviously there's so much happening around. So you just kind of block all of those emotions and focus well on the skills bit under pressure,” added Dasgupta, who was on TV and radio commentary duties during the 2-2 drawn series.

Now back home in Hyderabad, Siraj is spending quality time with his mother Shabana Begum and brother Ismail. Mohammed Mahboob Ahmed, who first mentored Siraj at Charminar Cricket Club in 2014, said the buzz around the fast bowler in Hyderabad has been electric since The Oval win, adding that he plans to meet him soon.

“I wanted Siraj to bowl on the stumps, because if he would do that, the batter will make a mistake. Fortunately, he hit the ball on the stumps at the right time and on the right spot to win the match for India.

Seeing Siraj earn adulation for his heroics transported Ahmed back in time to the early days when the youngster was looking to transition from tennis-ball to leather-ball bowling. The family’s situation back then was tough - his father, the late Mohammed Ghaus, drove an autorickshaw, while his mother worked as a domestic help in homes.

“Once we had our Hyderabad Cricket Association matches and the ground was very far, 30–40 kms away. I used to pay him 1500–2000 rupees for petrol so that he could play the club’s every match. I also provided him with shoes and kit bag, as well as all the facilities. He was a very good boy.

“I knew that he would make a name for himself in the future. Now it's there for everyone to see as he bowled very well, and we enjoyed seeing him excel in the game. We want him to reach further heights in his cricketing career and may Allah bless his family always,” he said.

At a time when workload management dominates conversations, Siraj has played more Tests than any other Indian since his debut. He’s an old-school fast bowler in a modern era — all heart, full effort, regardless of the format. Ahmed credits this durability to Siraj’s discipline and dedication from the starting days.

“In the time he has been with the Indian team in the last 7-8 years, we have never heard that he was injured, and that’s the sign of his real fitness. He has been working hard on it since his early days. Till this date, he has never been injured or complained that he has experienced some pain, which shows he has maintained his fitness and professionalism.

“He got a good and stable coach-cum-mentor in Bharat Arun and has hugely benefitted from the great influence of Virat Kohli. Being around Kohli changed Siraj’s life and its effect is that he has become very disciplined in all matters.

“Seeing all the praise for his hard work and wickets taken in England, I feel it’s all a part of his naseeb (fate). No one could have taken this from him and it was in his naseeb to see these days. May the Almighty always bless him with every kind of happiness,” he added.

If the Gabba Test win in 2021 marked his coming-of-age, The Oval triumph has cemented Siraj’s place amongst the seasoned campaigners, something which opposition batters must be wary of.

At a time when India was looking for a hero to take them to victory, Siraj did more than just showing up - he stood tall and put in every ounce of his energy to be at the forefront of a win that will be remembered for long in India’s Test cricket history.

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