ENG vs IND 2025: Mohammed Siraj delivers exactly what Dale Steyn predicted

Former South African speedster Dale Steyn had made a bold prediction ahead of the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, forecasting that Mohammed Siraj would claim a five-wicket haul. On July 30, 2025, Steyn took to social media to back Siraj’s ability to rise in a critical situation, and the Indian pacer delivered exactly that, picking up a crucial fifer at The Oval to help India level the series 2-2.

Siraj was on fire throughout the match. In the first innings, he struck early and often, claiming the key wickets of Joe Root, Ollie Pope, Harry Brook, and Jacob Bethell to finish with a four-wicket haul. With India setting a target of 374 runs for England in the final innings, the hosts fought valiantly but were eventually bowled out for 367, handing India a thrilling six-run victory, the narrowest margin by runs in India's Test history.

Check Dale Steyn's post from July 30 here

Dale Steyn@DaleSteyn62

Siraj to take a fifer in 5th Test.

09:48 PM · Jul 30, 2025

28.2K1.8K

Siraj’s second-innings heroics began with the dismissal of Zak Crawley on the penultimate ball of Day 3. He followed it up by removing stand-in skipper as his second scalp of the innings. With England needing 35 runs and India requiring four wickets on the final day, the pressure was at its peak.

Jamie Overton sparked some English hopes with back-to-back boundaries to start the day, but Siraj turned the game around by dismissing Jamie Smith and Overton in quick succession. As the match neared its climax, Gus Atkinson launched a six that brought the equation down to 11 runs, and later to just seven runs, as Chris Woakes bravely came out to bat with a sling on his left arm. But Siraj had the final say, he fired in a perfect yorker that crashed into the off stump to dismiss Atkinson and seal a famous win for India.

Siraj finished with nine wickets in the match, and with that performance, he also emerged as the leading wicket-taker of the series, claiming 23 wickets overall in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. With Jasprit Bumrah rested for the final Test, Siraj stepped up magnificently, playing a crucial role in India’s series-levelling victory.