"I put a 'believe' wallpaper on my phone" - Mohammed Siraj makes interesting revelation after match-winning spell on Day 5 of ENG vs IND 2025 5th Test

Team India pacer Mohammed Siraj revealed that he kept a wallpaper of the word 'Believe' on his phone as inspiration ahead of his stunning match-winning display on Day 5 of the fifth Test against England at The Oval. The right-arm bowler picked up three of the four wickets to fall on the final day to help the Men in Blue clinch a narrow, historic six-run win, and level the series 2-2.

Siraj led the Indian bowling attack yet again in Jasprit Bumrah's absence and inspired the comeback in the first innings with a four-wicket haul. He stepped up again in the final innings, claiming the crucial wickets of Zak Crawley with a yorker and Ollie Pope with a vicious nip-backer, before his Day 5 heroics.

The pacer, ended with nine wickets in the match, ending as the leading wicket-taker of the series, and was adjudged as player of the match for his exploits.

Siraj revealed that the belief was there despite England cruising in the run chase, and revealed how he motivated himself to put on a show on Day 5, despite the odds being stacked against the team to an extent.

"From Day One till here, everyone fought hard, and then this result, we are very, very happy. The plan is simple, to keep it consistently in the right areas and everything would take care of itself. I woke up, took a screenshot out of Google, saying 'Believe', and stuck to it, I put a believe wallpaper on my phone. That dropped catch was a critical moment, had I taken that catch, it would be done much earlier," Mohammed Siraj said during the post-match presentation.

He did not have a single five-wicket haul in England prior to the 2025 tour, but he ended the tour with a couple of fifers, both coming in winning causes. He ends the series with 23 wickets at an average of 32.43, having bowled a total of 185.3 overs in total across all five Tests.

"He is a captain's dream" - Shubman Gill hails Mohammed Siraj after ENG vs IND 2025 5th Test

Team India skipper Shubman Gill praised Mohammed Siraj's performance on Day 5 as well as the entire series. The right-arm pacer was a massive threat in the closing stages of the contest, constantly troubling the England lower-order with outswingers and nip-backers with the old ball. He made the most of the overcast conditions to keep India in the hunt, and fittingly had the final say as well.

"Having people like Siraj and Prasidh make captaincy easy. The idea was to keep the pressure on. Pressure makes people do what they don't want to do. He is a captain's dream. Every captain wants a player like him," Gill said during the post-match presentation.

This marks the second consecutive time that Team India have walked away from England with a drawn series. The previous tour in 2021-22 had also ended with a similar scoreline, with England securing a win in the last Test to avoid a series defeat.

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Edited by Gokul Nair