"Today it was not Jassi bhai, but Miyan bhai"- Indian legend heaps praise on Mohammed Siraj for his heroics in ENG vs IND 2025 5th Test

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin lavished praise on pacer Mohammed Siraj for his Player of the match performance in the fifth Test against England at The Oval. The 38-year-old said that the time had come for all to celebrate the Siraj. He added that the 31-year-old had been instrumental in helping the side level the series 2-2.

Siraj took a match haul of 9/190 to help the tourists bowl the hosts twice in the match and clinch a thrilling six-run win on Monday. Speaking on his YouTube channel, 'Ash ki Baat', Ashwin said:

"What an absolute riveting Test match. Full props to India, against all odds, India have come back and levelled the series. I want to say that this game has been absolutely topsy-turvy, series has also been topsy-turvy. All things aside, for today let us celebrate Mohammed Siraj." "With 22 (23) wickets, he's the leader of the bowling charts. What made me so happy with what happened with Siraj is that when we won the T20 World Cup, he wore a bib and praised Jasprit Bumrah. But today it was not Jassi bhai, but Miyan bhai, who was the real instrument for India to level the series".

Ashwin further emphasised the importance of Siraj to the Indian bowling attack. He admitted that the pacer was getting older and needed to be given breaks in between to lead a transitioning attack in the coming years. He added:

"He's reminding us of what a champion bowler he is, his bowling action, and his running technique in his run-up and his nice finish towards the end, his good work ethic is allowing him to play all the Test matches of a series, even if it is five Test matches. It is time we recongnise that." "He's getting on in age, and it is very important as an Indian team management that we rest him as well from inconsequential matches that we play after this, because he could be your number one Test bowler, go-to Test bowler around which you build your rest of the bowling attack," he said.

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Ravichandran Ashwin praises Washington Sundar's performance with the bat, questions England's approach with the ball

A key performance at the fag end of India's second innings was that of Washington Sundar. The southpaw made a 46-ball 53 that contained four sixes. Ravichandran Ashwin praised him for his batting effort and questioned England's tactics with the ball.

"The other question is, Washington Sundar made a hundred in the last Test, and it looked like in the entire series, he was one of the better batters. Technically-equipped and temperamentally, absolutely gun. In both innings, of course, his second innings half-century, England should ask themselves: were we very, very poor at the last wicket? Could we have reduced 20 runs? The way Sundar used the long handle and got us to that score is the reason we are celebrating today," the 38-year-old said.

Washington Sundar made 284 runs in four Tests in the series at an average of 47.33. He brought up his maiden Test hundred in the second innings of the fourth Test at Manchester. He put on 203 runs for the fifth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja, which helped India draw the game, with one Test match left in the series.

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Edited by Aditya Singh