On Day 2 of the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval in London, Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj delivered a remarkable performance. India was all out for 224, thanks to Gus Atkinson’s five wickets. Siraj and Prasidh Krishna each took four wickets, helping the visitors make a strong comeback and bowl England out for 247.
Siraj dismissed key players like Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, and Jamie Smith, achieving more wickets than Sachin Tendulkar. His four wickets in this match brought his Test total to 118. He also has 71 wickets in ODIs and 14 in T20Is, bringing his international total to 203 wickets, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s 201.
This was Siraj’s sixth time taking four wickets in an innings in England, surpassing Jasprit Bumrah’s five. Among Asian bowlers, only Waqar Younis of Pakistan has more, with six four-wicket hauls and 45 wickets in England.
England chose to field first and India was bowled out for 224. Karun Nair (57 off 109 balls, with eight fours) and Washington Sundar (26 off 55 balls, with three fours) made a key half-century partnership for the seventh wicket. Gus Atkinson (5/33) and Josh Tongue (3/57) were England’s top bowlers.
In England’s first innings, Crawley (64 off 57 balls, with 14 fours) and Ben Duckett (43 off 38 balls, with five fours and two sixes) put together a 92-run opening stand. After both were out, Krishna (4/62) and Siraj (4/83) caused a batting collapse. Harry Brook (53 off 64 balls, with five fours and a six) scored a half-century, but England was still bowled out for 247, giving them a small 23-run lead.
By the end of the day, India was at 75/2, with Jaiswal (51) and night-watchman Akash Deep (4) still at the crease, leading by 52 runs.