Indian fast bowler Mohammed Siraj is just one wicket away from taking 200 wickets in international cricket. Siraj can achieve this milestone in the upcoming Test match between India and England at The Oval. In the previous Test at Manchester, India made a great comeback from a losing position and managed to draw the match. This has surely boosted their confidence. England are still leading the five-match Test series 2-1, but from 31 July, the fifth Test will begin and India will have a chance to level the series.
In this series against England, Mohammed Siraj has been in good form. However, during the fourth Test at Old Trafford, he was quite expensive. He bowled 30 overs, gave 140 runs and got only one wicket. Siraj has good memories of this venue because in the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia, he took five wickets here. In that match, he had taken four wickets in the first innings.
In the current Test series, Siraj has taken 14 wickets in 4 matches and is the joint second-highest wicket-taker. He also took 6 wickets at Edgbaston. Jasprit Bumrah has also taken 14 wickets but in only 3 matches.
In his international career, Siraj has played 100 matches and taken 199 wickets at an average of 29.09. His best bowling figures are 6 for 15. He has taken five-wicket hauls five times. Out of these, 114 wickets have come in 40 Test matches. In England alone, Siraj has taken 37 wickets in 10 matches.
For the fifth Test, Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be rested as part of workload management. Akash Deep may replace him in the playing XI. Mohammed Siraj will lead the pace attack. The third fast bowler could be Prasidh Krishna or Arshdeep Singh, who is still waiting for his Test debut.