'So lucky to witness this from the best...’ — Umpire Kumar Dharmasena’s heartfelt tribute to Siraj’s heroic last ball

India pacer Mohammed Siraj delivered a stellar performance in the recently concluded five-match Test series against England, which ended in a 2-2 draw after Shubman Gill-led team pulled off a thrilling six-run win in the fifth Test at The Oval.

On the final day of the decider, England needed just 35 more runs with four wickets in hand. Siraj and Prasidh Krishna turned the tide, dismantling the lower order and bowling England out six runs short of the target. The defining moment came with England needing seven runs and only one wicket in hand. Gus Atkinson, batting on 17, had taken a single off the last ball of the previous over to shield an injured Chris Woakes, who was batting one-handed at the non-striker’s end.

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As Siraj began the new over, the tension was palpable. On his very first delivery, he produced a peach that sent Atkinson’s off-stump cartwheeling, sealing India’s nail-biting victory. Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena, who was officiating, later shared a photo of the moment on Instagram. He wrote, “So lucky to witness this ball from the best seat in the house.”

The England tour was among Siraj’s finest in Test cricket. He topped the wicket charts with 23 scalps, bowling over 185 overs across all five matches—more than any other Indian bowler—while Jasprit Bumrah was rested for two Tests as part of workload management. Siraj was the only Indian bowler, and just the second overall in the series, to feature in every Test.

His match-winning display at The Oval also propelled him to a career-best 674 rating points in the ICC Men’s Test Bowler Rankings, climbing 12 places to a personal high of 15th spot. It was a fitting reward for a series where his ‘Miyan Magic’ shone brightest when India needed it most.