India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj ended Day 3 of the fifth Test against England on a high as he got the prized scalp of Zak Crawley just before stumps at the Oval. Set a target of 374 runs in the fourth innings, England once again off to a terrific start as openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett added 50 runs for the first wicket.
With England just two balls away from going into Day 4 without losing any wickets, Siraj decided to bluff Crawley as he brought deep square leg out on the boundary to give an indication of bowling a short delivery. However, he caught the England opener off guard with a yorker, which shattered into his stumps.
ENG vs IND 5th Test Day 3 Updates
As a result, India got the priceless wicket on the verge of stumps and ended a dominating day on a high. The smart work by captain Shubman Gill and Siraj also earned praise from Cheteshwar Pujara, who hailed them for their marvellous plan.
“He had a deep square leg for Zak Crawley, who was expecting a short ball, and suddenly he bowls a yorker, which was very pleasing to see. When you outsmart a batter, that’s the best feeling one can have as a bowler. And on that occasion, Crawley didn’t have any clue where the ball was coming. He missed that ball completely, but credit goes to Mohammed Siraj because he works hard on his bowling. He’s always in the action, whether he’s bowling with the new ball or the old ball,” said Pujara on Sony Sports.
Furthermore, Pujara hailed Siraj for bowling his heart out for the team on the tour and rising to the occasion whenever needed.
“He’s the guy who deserves it, he bowls longer spells and is always there for the team. He has a character, and bowls his heart out. It’s never easy because if you are a fast bowler, bowling in overseas conditions, playing all five test matches, and still to have that energy and efficiency to bowl longer spells and to do it for the country, it’s a great moment for him,” he added.
Legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar also praised Gill for his plan at the end of the day’s play.
“That last move was fantastic, sending a fielder there and bowling a yorker,” said Gavaskar in a video shared by Sony Sports.
Meanwhile, Siraj’s late strike left England at 50/1 needing another 324 runs to win the Test match. Earlier, India scored 396 in their second innings to take a massive 373-run lead courtesy of a splendid hundred from Yashasvi Jaiswal (118) and half-centuries from Akash Deep (66), Ravindra Jadeja (53) and Washington Sundar (53).
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