Mohammed Siraj’s heroics on the final day of the fifth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, helping India defeat England by six runs to draw the series 2-2, earned him the player of the match award.
His nine-wicket haul took him on the top of the highest wicket-taker tally with 23 scalps in the series. With Prasidh Krishna applying pressure on the batters from the other end and eventually taking a wicket, Siraj dismissed three batters, including the pivotal wicket of Gus Atkinson on the final day, to take India over the line in the fifth Test. After the conclusion of the match, Siraj found himself on the receiving end of some light-hearted banter with his fellow teammates.
Indian speedsters Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh were seen trying to make a reel on the ground after the team won the match. In a video shared by BCCI on social media platform X, Arshdeep is trying to teach Siraj to say some lines to make an Instagram reel. Arshdeep, who is known for his social media presence, told Siraj how to make a reel by saying the words, "Pressure? what pressure!", into the camera. Siraj stumbled over the phrase, leading Arshdeep to mock him and say, "Sab kuch sikhaana padhta hain bowling ko chhodke (he needs to be taught everything apart from bowling)". Even the other team members such as Prasidh Krishna and Karun Nair were seen laughing at their interaction.
Watch the video here:
Arshdeep Singh could not make his Test debut in any matches of the series
Arshdeep Singh was included in the squad on the Test tour to England, but he could not make his Test debut in the series, mainly due to the team combinations and strategies. Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj bounced back strongly from the criticism he was getting on social media and by many former players for dropping Harry Brook’s catch in a key phase while defending 373-run total in the fifth Test. The catch drop proved quite costly for India as Brook went on to score his tenth Test hundred.
In the post-match conference, Siraj revealed his mindset before coming on the pitch for the final day of the match, saying, "Impossible is not in my dictionary. I changed my wallpaper to a ‘believe’ emoji to fire me up, and I knew I could win it for India." His resilience was lauded by captain Shubman Gill, who called him a "captain’s dream" for his relentless effort.
