India pacer Mohammed Siraj led the bowling attack on Day 2 of the fifth Test of Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. After a 92-run opening partnership was broken by Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj got four crucial wickets to help India bowl out England for 247. As India made a comeback in the must-win Test at Kennington Oval, London, Siraj revealed his conversation with his teammate Jasprit Bumrah who was released from the Test squad.
“Jassi bhai ko ye bola tha, bhaiya aap ja kyu rahe ho? Mai 5 wicket leke aake kisko hug karu? Toh unhone bola mai hu idhar hi, tu bas 5 wicket lele. (I asked Jassi, brother, why are you leaving? If I take a five-wicket haul, who am I going to hug?' when I take a five-wicket haul? So he said, 'I’m right here only. You just take five wickets.' That’s the kind of conversation we’ve had," said Siraj.)" Siraj revealed in a video posted by BCCI.tv after the day’s play.
Siraj's scalps on Day 1 were stand-in captain Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook and young Jacob Bethell. He is currently the leading wicket-taker in the series. He wants his efforts to end up in the winning cause.
"Everyone loves playing in England because there’s more swing and the wickets here are helpful for fast bowlers. Like you said, being the highest wicket-taker — it feels really good. But the more matches we win, the better that will shine through," said Siraj.
Krishna on pace attack camaraderie
Meanwhile, Prasidh Krishna registered a four-wicket haul as well, his best bowling figures in Test cricket. He spoke about the camaraderie with the current pace attack.
“We've been playing a lot for now, I mean, five years now, and played with him at the IPL. We sit together a lot, spend a lot of time together. Same with Akash Deep. I think the fast-bowling unit is looking pretty good,” he said.
“Yeah, I think Boom (Jasprit Bumrah) also has been a great, great part of this, and I think it's really important for us to enjoy each other's success, to have that rapport off the field, so that when you're on the field, when you're speaking to each other, you have that trust, and that trust is really going to make the team better.
“We did put in a lot of work on my bowling. The intensities were different, and the areas that I was bowling were different. And I think I could say I learned from the two games that I played, and I was working on what I could do better.”
Krishna and Siraj’s services will be needed again as India aim to level the series 2-2. At the end of Day 2’s play, India had eight wickets in hand and a 52-run lead in the bag.