Mohammed Siraj Shines With Career-Best Test Ranking After Oval Victory

Mohammed Siraj has attained his best-ever Test ranking following his outstanding display at The Oval in the final Test match against England. His nine wickets, including a vital five-wicket haul, secured a stunning six-run win for India. The victory enabled India to tie the five-match series at two matches each. Siraj's excellent show has lifted him 12 spots to 15th place in the ICC Test bowling rankings with 674 points, the highest position he has ever held in his career till date. Earlier, he had been at 16th place and that was back in January last year.

At the last stage of the match when England required 35 runs to win with four wickets in hand Siraj rose to the occasion under pressure. He dismissed three of those last four wickets including the last one of Gus Atkinson which guaranteed the win for India. For his performance, Siraj was awarded the Player of the Match. This spell not only assisted India in winning a close game but also revealed how consistent and effective Siraj has now become in pressure situations. His ascent in the rankings is a testament to his consistency and effectiveness in playing games in pressure situations.

Another highlight of the day for India was the effort of Prasidh Krishna who also achieved a personal best in the ICC Test bowling rankings. He rose to the 59th position after taking four wickets in the second innings of the same match. This was his best performance in Tests till date. Siraj and Krishna collectively became only the second Indian duo to take four or more wickets each in both innings of a Test match. The previous occasion was in 1969 when Bishan Singh Bedi and Erapalli Prasanna did it against Australia in Delhi. It is even more special for two fast bowlers to do so in English conditions more than half a century later.

India's pace attack remains robust with Jasprit Bumrah continuing to head the ICC Test bowling rankings with 889 points. He featured in three Tests in the series as team management wanted to handle his workload prudently. The fact that Bumrah tops the list says a lot about his impact on the game. With Bumrah atop the table and Siraj consistently moving up the charts India possesses one of the most dangerous fast-bowling line-ups in world cricket. It shows how much the team's pace battery has improved over the years.

In batting Yashaswi Jaiswal made a strong comeback into the top-5 of ICC Test batting rankings. He scored his second century of the series at The Oval and moved up three places to now hold 792 rating points. His performances have been consistently classy throughout the series. Jaiswal has been demonstrating maturity and patience as an opening youngster which has made him one of India's brightest hopes. With further experience at the international level he will rise even higher in the rankings.

Rishabh Pant who was out of the fifth Test with a foot injury fell by one position to eighth in batting rankings. Though he did not play the previous match he is still one of the highest-ranked batters for India. His aggressive batting and the capability to turn the match around in short time makes him an asset to the team. Hopefully he recovers to full fitness and keeps scoring runs with the bat in coming series.

On the other hand Joe Root has solidified his position at the top of the Test batting rankings. His third successive century in the series helped him retain his number one position. England's Harry Brook also performed a stunning knock of 111 runs from a mere 98 balls which saw him move to the second position in the rankings. The stability displayed by these two players has been one of the pluses for England in this series. They performed with excellent intent and ensured that England remained competitive during the matches.

The game also witnessed career-best ranking for England bowlers Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson. Both of them snapped eight wickets each during the game. Atkinson entered the top-10 of the ICC Test bowling rankings for the first time as Tongue leaped a huge 14 places to 46th position. These efforts ensured England stayed in the match until the last session of the last day. These performances demonstrate the depth in England's bowling and the emergence of new talent, which can take over in the days to come.

This Oval Test was perhaps the most thrilling match that has been played recently and it had fans looking forward to cheering. With moments of tension to match-winning spells the game was full of action. That the Test finished with a mere six-run margin indicates how evenly both sides were matched. It also lays to rest once and for all the claims of Test cricket being dead and done with.

Siraj's emergence to 15th position is not only an individual success but also a welcome sign for Indian cricket. It indicates the success of India's fast-bowling revolution and the capability of its bowlers to perform in foreign conditions. His energy aggression and ball discipline have turned him into an integral component of India's Test team. If he maintains this kind of form there is no question that he will make it to the top-10 sooner rather than later.

Prasidh Krishna's match-winning performance also brings another name to India's increasing list of talented fast bowlers. Given proper guidance and further game time he can become a regular part of the Test team. Siraj-Krishna's combination in this match will be remembered for long as it steered the game towards India's side when anything could have happened.

Overall the match was an unforgettable one for numerous reasons. It included good individual performances emerging stars record-breaking feats and most of all a nail-biting ending. The shifts in the ICC rankings that followed this match indicate how much influence one game can exert when the players step up to the challenge. The fans will be hoping to see more of the same in the years to come as new heroes continue to arise in the game of Test cricket.