Our Bureau
London
At the end of Day 4, the match hangs in the middle slightly tilted towards England but no one can say India is completely out of the game. Such has been the story of the series which is turning out to be one for the ages. Mohammed Siraj has been the leading wicket-taker in the series and has bowled his heart out for the team, but somehow his one dropped catch could be the reason India goes on to lose the match and the series with that.
It was one of the defining moments of the match when Siraj who was standing on the boundary at long-leg dropped Harry Brook’s catch while he was just batting at 19. On the first ball of the 35th over of the England innings, Brook who came out to bat with the intentions of attacking Indian bowlers played a lofted shot on the bowling of Prasidh Krishna. Siraj did well to cover the ground and grab the catch but his right foot touched the boundary cushion, making it a six instead.
This was a big blunder from the Indian pacer which struck India badly as Brooks who was just at a score of 19 went on to score a brilliant century. He smashed Indian bowlers all around and ended his innings at 111 runs in just 98 balls. This innings took the game away from India’s hands which looked well in their control.
On the other end of the crease, Joe Root perfectly played the role of an anchor alongside Brook and managed to score his second ton of this series. It was looking as if England would cruise to victory but the Indian pacers had different things in mind as Akash Deep dismissed Brook, the match came alive. Krishna then managed to take out both Jacob Bethel and Joe Root with a fiery spell.
The match hanged somewhere in the middle closer to the reach of the home team but the way Indian bowlers have bowled in the last hour of the day’s play nothing can be certain. At the end of Day 4, the Rain gods made their presence felt and the score at stumps was 339 at the loss of 6 wickets.
However, when many thought Siraj might become the reason behind India losing the match and subsequently the series, the Indian pacer had other plans. With just 35 runs to defend and still 4 wickets left to be taken, many had lost hope but Siraj on Day 5 was breathing fire as he took 3 wickets in the span of a 5 over spell. Siraj completed his five-wicket haul taking the final wicket and won India the match as well as saved the series for his team.
