India pacer Mohammed Siraj was crucial to the side pulling off a 2-2 series draw against England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. The 31-year-old finished as the five-match assignment's highest wicket-taker, picking up a total of 23 scalps in 9 innings. He saved his best performance for the fifth and final match of the series at The Oval as he recorded figures of 4/86 and 5/104 in the first and second innings respectively.
Siraj was the only Indian seamer who featured in all the five matches of the series and also bowled a ton of overs throughout the assignment. He stepped up big time in Jasprit Bumrah's absence and led the side's bowling department in the two matches that the latter had missed in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Former England cricketer David Gower was left quite impressed with the grit and determination that Siraj showcased during the series and also praised the pacer for remaining fully fit throughout the five matches.
"I would love to know what he takes, what he eats and what he drinks because I want to give all that to England's bowlers. For Siraj, one of the things that struck me was he has played all five Tests and was unstinting. Yet, he bowled more than 30 overs in that England second innings (Oval) because seamers had to bowl in those conditions. And he never gave up. He never stopped and never seemed to wilt," Gower told The Free Press Journal.
"That's an extraordinary testament to his determination to win and fitness. The thing that struck me was England's bowling has had problems over the last few years in keeping people fit and on the field. So, you rarely get the same attack coming out game after game and yet, here was a man who played all five Test matches, finished bowling 30 overs in the final innings of the series and loved it," he added.
India's next opponent in Test cricket will be West Indies
Siraj was undoubtedly one of India's top performers in the series and will be lookinmg to continue this form in the upcoming two-match home Test assignment against West Indies which will commence from October 2. If Bumrah gets rested for the series then Siraj will once again be the side's frontline pacer.
Meanwhile, India currently sit on the third place on the World Test Championship (WTC) points table, behind table-toppers Australia and second-placed Sri Lanka. It remains to be seen if the Men in Blue will be able to make more gains on the standings in the series against West Indies.