Siraj joins Kapil Dev in rare list after selection in 5th Test vs England
The paceman's appearance at the Oval Test has made him just the third Indian bowler to play all five Test matches in away series three times and also claiming 10 wickets in all of them.
New Delhi: With his inclusion in the fifth and final Test match against England, Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj has joined an elite list of Indian bowlers featuring the legendary Kapil Dev. Siraj, who has played a pivotal role in Test cricket for India and the overseas success in the past, has been in a fine form in the current series against England.
In India's lone win against the English giants at Edgbaston, he picked up 6 wickets in the first innings thus playing a pivotal role in the victory of the visiting side. Despite bowling long spells, not even an inch of fatigue has been witnessed on the fast bowlers face as he has tried hard to deliver again and again which has resulted in him claiming 14 wickets in the series.
Siraj achieves big feat
The paceman's appearance at the Oval Test has made him just the third Indian bowler to play all five Test matches in away series three times and also claiming 10 wickets in all of them. Apart from Siraj, the two other Indian bowlers to achieve this feat are legendary cricketers Kapil Dev and Vinoo Mankad.
At first, Siraj played all the five games of an away Test series during India's tour of England in 2021 where he delivered a match winning performance at Lord's while claiming 20 wickets in five Test matches during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. This is the third series where he has featured in all the games claiming 10 wickets and more.
Meanwhile, with 14 wickets already is his pocket, Siraj would be aiming to add to his tally in the series deciding game. For the finale, India made four changes to their playing XI with Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, Anshul Kamboj and Shardul Thakur all missing form the match while England entered the game with as many changes, with the main absentee being skipper Ben Stokes.