Siraj's England tour comes full circle at the Oval, seals sensational 6-run win in 5th Test as Root-Brook's tons go in vain, India level series 2-2

Shubman Gill-led India registered a six-run win against England in a nail-biting fifth and final Test at The Oval in London to draw the  Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series 2-2 after weeks of intense, back-and-forth battle against England. 

Speedster Mohammed Siraj was the standout performer, taking 5 wickets for 104 runs in what was one of the best performances of his career. He ended the series as the leading wicket-taker with 23 scalps.

Hosts England were chasing a record target of 374 and looked on track at 339 for 6 when bad light and heavy rain stopped play on Day 4. But on the final morning, India wasted no time; they grabbed the last four wickets quickly, bowling England out for 367 in just over 85 overs.

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Siraj got solid support from Prasidh Krishna, who picked up 4 wickets for 126 runs. The final moments were tense, especially when England’s Chris Woakes came out to bat despite a shoulder injury and his arm in a sling, showing immense grit at number 11.

The series had been a rollercoaster. England took the lead with a five-wicket win in the opening Test at Leeds. India bounced back with a massive 336-run win in the second match in Birmingham. England edged ahead again with a 22-run win at Lord’s, but India held firm to draw the fourth Test in Manchester thanks to a gritty batting effort on Day 5.

The final match saw more drama, with Joe Root and Harry Brook scoring brilliant centuries to put England in control. But India turned the game around on the last day, pulling off a famous win that will be remembered for years.

Brief scores:

India: 224 and 396

England: 247 and 367 all out in 85.1 overs (Joe Root 105, Harry Brook 111, Ben Duckett 54; Mohammed Siraj 5/104, Prasidh Krishna 4/126).