England's Brook praises Siraj for ‘phenomenal series and a finish’; KL Rahul says Oval win ‘ranks right at top’
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "England's Brook praises Siraj for ‘phenomenal series and a finish’; KL Rahul says Oval win ‘ranks right at top’")
Brook praises Siraj for ‘phenomenal series and a finish’; KL says 'Oval win...' Photograph: (AFP)
Mohammed Siraj picked 23 wickets in this Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, the most among all bowlers and the joint-most for an Indian on an away England tour.
England’s Player of the Series, Harry Brook, praised Indian seamer Mohammed Siraj, who triggered a late English collapse during the Oval Test run chase to help his team grab a narrow and essential win and level the five-match series 2-2. Siraj picked up five wickets in the second innings, including three early on the final day to deny England a series win in the fifth Test in London. While they only needed 35 runs with four wickets remaining, the hosts failed to tackle Siraj’s unplayable deliveries, surrendering by just six runs remaining. His teammate, KL Rahul, however, called this among Team India’s best Test wins ever.
Brook, meanwhile, played a fantastic knock of 111 off 98 balls in the fourth innings, alongside veteran Joe Root, who slammed his 39th Test hundred, punishing India on day four. The pair hit Indian quicks to all parts of the ground, cutting down on the deficit with each scoring shot. Although they brought England to a comfortable position during the chase, losing three wickets late on the fourth day allowed India to gain momentum.
However, the final day at the Oval had everyone in the game, with England needing just 35 runs to cross the winning line. Speaking to the media after the six-run loss, Brook said England was confident about hunting the target, but it was Siraj who denied them a victory.
“I thought we’ll easily take it home in the morning, but the way Siraj bowled, he deserved the success today. I thought the pitch would be flatter after the roller. But it zipped around under the cloud. But Siraj has had a phenomenal series and a finish,” Brook said.
Injured Chris Woakes also walked out to bat with his dislocated shoulder heavily taped, but even that failed to prevent the inevitable.
“Woakes would always go out no matter what. Unfortunate we didn’t get over the line,” Brook continued.
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Rahul rates Oval win among top ones
KL Rahul is Team India’s batting mainstay, and having played crucial knocks throughout this series, he knows and understands the value of this win at the Oval, which saw India level the five-match series.
Speaking to Sky Sports broadcaster Dinesh Karthik, Rahul said, “Win means absolutely everything. I’ve played cricket for years. Won Champions Trophy, seen the team lift the World Cup — of course, nothing compares to winning the World Cup.”
“But there were so many questions about whether Test cricket stays or not, but both (teams) answered that question here with the way we’ve played. India weren’t given a chance, but we’ve fought in every game, and to get 2-2, might be a draw, but for Indian Test cricket, this will rank right at the top. This is where change begins. Indian Test team will win a lot of things and more series,” said Rahul, who scored 532 runs in the series at an average of 53.20.
