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The fifth and final Test of the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 has gone down to the wire with England needing only 35 runs to win The Oval Test whereas India are just four wickets shy of securing a victory in order to end the series in a stalemate. India posted 374-run target for the home side, courtesy a century from Yashasvi Jaiswal and fifty-plus scores from Akash Deep (66), Ravindra Jadeja (53) and Washington Sundar (53).
Thereafter, the Ollie Pope-led side bounced back in style as 54 from ben Duckett and centuries coming from Joe Root (105) and Harry Brook (111), helped them reach 339 run at the end of day four’s play. However, with Jamie Smith (2*) and Jamie Overton (0*) in the middle, India will have a daunting task to restrict them under the target.
Joe Root heaps praise on Mohammed Siraj; calls him “a real warrior”
While the veteran England batter played with grit and determination, his cheeky take on Mohammed Siraj stole the limelight in the day. Root sent ripples across the cricketing world with his remark on the Indian pacer as he referred to his anger as “fake”. However, the 34-year-old heaped praise on Siraj, but added humour by calling his on-field aggression as “fake”.
“He’s got this fake angriness about him sometimes, which I can see straight through,” Root went up straight with a smiling face. However, the England batter further clarified while calling him a “real warrior”, saying, “He’s a character, a real warrior. He’s someone you want on your team. He gives everything for India and credit to him for that.”
Root further went on to acknowledge Siraj’s relentless effort, calling him as a “great example” for young cricketers”. “It’s his work ethic, his smile, his love for the game. He plays hard but fair. I enjoy playing against him,” Root added. So far speaking of Siraj’s bowling spell in the second England innings, he has picked two wickets in his 26 overs at an economy of 3.70.
