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Former cricketer Yograj Singh saw shades of Kapil Dev after witnessing Mohammed Siraj unleashing fury under London's gloomy sky with his scorching spells at The Oval to engineer a memorable victory for India in the fifth Test against England.
The fate of the inaugural edition of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy was decided in the opening hour of the final day, with India standing triumphant with a slender six-run win, an indelible story of success. After the weather gods intervened and forced an early closure on the fourth day, the equation was straightforward for both teams. England stood 35 runs short of gunning down the 374-run target. On the other hand, India had to scythe four wickets to rob England's chances of ruining Shubman Gill's first captaincy assignment in a series defeat. Siraj and Prasidh Krishna's sweltering spells under the slight drizzle in London saw India rip through England's tail and pull the curtains down on the gruelling five-match affair on level terms at 2-2. Yograj was impressed by India's blockbuster show. He revealed that Siraj's spells turned back the clock and reminded him of the legendary India captain Kapil Dev, who was known for his dazzling spells. The 67-year-old analysed Gill's "mature" captaincy and didn't feel he was leading a side for the first time in a high-stakes overseas tour. "The way our players have played, it was amazing to watch. The way Mohammed Siraj bowled, he reminded me of Kapil Dev. The captaincy of Shubman Gill was mature. It did not seem at all that he was a captain for the first time," Yograj told ANI. In the final moment of the series, Siraj landed the decisive blow and topped it up with his trademark 'Sui' celebration. On his 1,113th delivery of the series, he nailed the yorker and rattled Gus Atkinson's timber to get India past the finishing line with a narrow six-run triumph, finishing with a sizzling five-for in the second innings and overall match figures 9/190. Across the five Tests, Siraj has been a whirlwind on the field and a workhorse, bearing the brunt of relentlessly delivering wicket-taking spells for India. He redefined the concept of workload management, bowled his heart out across the five Tests and concluded the series as the leading wicket-taker. Siraj's determination and perseverance resonated in the 1113 deliveries he bowled in five Tests to scalp 23 wickets at 32.43. (ANI)
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