India’s six-run victory at The Oval capped off a thrilling 2-2 series against England — and nearly rewrote the awards script. England coach Brendon McCullum almost switched his Player of the Series vote from Shubman Gill to Mohammed Siraj after the final day’s drama.
The surprising revelation came from ex-India cricketer Dinesh Karthik on Cricbuzz, who explained the sudden shift in McCullum’s choice.
“If the match had gotten over yesterday (Day 4), Shubman Gill was the man of the series,” Karthik said.
“Brendon McCullum had said Shubman Gill. And obviously, Atherton [Mike Atherton] was the one doing the presentation. So, he had all the questions ready. Everything was for Shubman Gill.”
Siraj’s Fiery Bowling Forced a Last-Minute Reconsideration
On Day 5, Siraj dismantled England’s tail and picked up a five-wicket haul in a defining spell.“Baz McCullum turned it around in a matter of half an hour, 40 minutes — to Mohammed Siraj,” Karthik noted.
“He even spoke about him in the post-match with Sky Sports — about how he enjoyed watching Siraj bowl and all the eloquent things he had to say about him.”
During England series, the opposing coaches pick the Player of the Series. With an early finish anticipated, votes were collected beforehand. McCullum voted for Gill after his 754-run effort, while Gambhir chose Harry Brook.
However, McCullum had high praise for Siraj in the post-match chat with Sky.“He’s got that spirit you want to see in a fast bowler,” McCullum said.
“Every time he had the ball in hand, there was energy. You could see how much it meant to him. It was one of those spells that can change a series, and today, it really did.”
Siraj’s Star Rises After Leading India’s Pace Attack
Siraj rose to the challenge with Bumrah absent, finishing as the leading wicket-taker of the series with 23 wickets.
Karthik was full of praise for the 30-year-old’s commitment and relentless effort across the five Tests.“This is a five-Test match series where bat has dominated the ball,” Karthik said.
“It’s been hard work. And this boy has come in running every day of the series, when given the ball, with his heart out… When Bumrah didn’t play, Siraj stepped up and showed what it takes to win.”
“At the start of the series, I actually said, in Australia, he bowled better with the old ball than with the new ball. But Mohamed Siraj has come out here to England. And when he has been the head of the pack, which means everybody was speaking about how Jasprit Bumrah is important. When Jasprit Bumrah plays, India should win. Otherwise, they are going to find it hard. And eventually, they ended up winning 2 test matches. Both of which he didn’t play. And it’s obviously no reflection on Bumrah. Because he is such a genius that you rely so much on a Jasprit Bumrah for them to do the goods. But the fact is that when he wasn’t around, Mohamed Siraj stepped up. Showed what it takes to win. You know, I think he can now rise beyond,” Karthik concluded.
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