New Delhi:Mohammed Siraj carved a unique place for himself in Indian cricket history on Friday, July 4, by becoming the first Indian bowler to claim a six-wicket haul in a Test match both in England and South Africa. Playing in the ongoing second Test against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham, Siraj produced a stunning performance, taking 6 wickets for 70 runs in the first innings.
Siraj’s feat places him in elite company, as he now joins a list of Indian bowlers who have taken six or more wickets in a single innings in either country. However, he is the only one to achieve this milestone in both nations. In England, only eight Indian bowlers have managed to take six or more wickets in an innings: Ishant Sharma, Amar Singh, Bhagwath Chandrasekhar, Chetan Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Dilip Doshi, Bishan Singh Bedi, and now Siraj. In South Africa, seven Indian bowlers share the distinction—Shardul Thakur, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Jasprit Bumrah, Javagal Srinath, Ravindra Jadeja, and Siraj—but Siraj is the sole name on both lists.
Siraj’s performance at Edgbaston began on Day 2 when he dismissed Zak Crawley for 19 on the first ball of the eighth over. He returned with fire on Day 3, removing Joe Root (22) and Ben Stokes (0) on consecutive deliveries in the morning session, both caught behind by Rishabh Pant. Despite a massive 303-run partnership between Harry Brook (158) and Jamie Smith (184*), Siraj struck again after Akash Deep broke the stand. He cleaned up Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, and Shoaib Bashir—all for ducks—to bring England’s innings to an end at 407 in 89.3 overs.
This 6/70 spell in Birmingham now stands among the best bowling figures by an Indian in England, alongside performances such as Ishant Sharma’s 7/74 at Lord’s in 2014 and Amar Singh’s 6/35 at the same venue in 1936. Siraj’s earlier record-breaking spell came in Cape Town in 2024, when he dismantled South Africa with figures of 6/15.
Across his Test career, Siraj has consistently stepped up when needed, especially in overseas conditions. His best Test figures so far include 6/15 against South Africa (2024), 6/70 against England (2025), 5/60 versus the West Indies (2023), and 5/73 in Australia’s fortress at Brisbane (2021). Leading the bowling attack in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, Siraj has once again proven why he’s considered one of India’s most reliable pace spearheads in red-ball cricket.
