Mohammed Siraj and Morne Morkel (Source: @BCCI/X.com)
The game was getting long, but the Indian pacers pulled it back with their adventurous bowling on the fourth day of the fifth Test at the Oval. Thanks to Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna's effort, India clawed back into the game by the end of day four.
Morkel Highly Encouraged By Siraj's Effort In Test Cricket
England were cruising at one stage with 301 runs on the board for the loss of just three wickets as both Harry Brook and Joe Root continued to punish India. However, the duo of Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj did incredibly well alongside Akash Deep to trouble England and grab the game out of nowhere.
The next three wickets fell in a hurry as England couldn't score much in the final few overs, following which the bad light and rain caused early stumps. During those final overs, Siraj and Krishna were just running through the English lineup, bowling the fiercest spell of the series.
After the conclusion of day four of the fifth Test at the Oval, Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel especially praised Mohammed Siraj for his splendid bowling spell of 2 for 95 in 26 overs, whereas his final few overs were top-class.
Speaking during the press conference after the end of Day 4, Morkel was quite ecstatic that Siraj is finally getting the recognition he deserves, as he has been one of the leaders in the side who generally doesn't speak but does the work with his actions, especially in the dressing room.
"I'm very happy for Siraj that he's getting the recognition. He's a guy that in the changing room that will always lead the way and I think he's a natural leader, although vocally he doesn't speak a lot," Morkel said during the press conference.
Moreover, Morkel didn't shy away from mentioning that he always puts his body on the line and is the first one in the side who will put his hand up to bowl additional overs without worrying too much about fatigue or injury.
"I think he leads a lot of actions in this series. So far, he's done it with the ball at times that we've needed somebody to put his hand up and create something, even if it was bowling an extra two overs, three overs or creating opportunity for us, he's been that guy. So he's put in the effort, and it's just nice to see the rewards," he continued.
India Fought Back Into The Game, Courtesy Of Siraj, Believes Morkel
The final overs burst from the Indian pacers was something that Morkel believes helped them stay in the competition all of a sudden, with a few wickets falling in the last overs and runs in scarcity.
Morkel considers that Siraj is primarily the reason why India all of a sudden jumped back into the game, as he was the one who lifted the team up when they were down and out.
"And today, again, at the backend, stepping up, getting the support behind the team to lift us in the crucial moments. It's those sort of smart plays that you need. And for me, Siraj has just been outstanding," he concluded.
England require just 35 runs to win, but they only have four wickets in hand, as India will be hoping to get those four remaining scalps in the morning session of the fifth day.
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