Mohammed Siraj Loses Out As Sachin Tendulkar Picks Ball Of The Series

The Mohammed Siraj delivery to Zak Crawley in the 5th Test had set social media ablaze. As skipper Shubman Gill set the field for a bouncer, Siraj stunned the England opener with an inch-perfect slower yorker, making many call it the 'ball of the series'. Yet, when the great Sachin Tendulkar sat down and reviewed the series, it was another delivery by an Indian pacer that impressed him the most in the 5-match Test assignment against England.

For Tendulkar, the best delivery of the series was the one Akash Deep bowled to Joe Root in the second innings of the 2nd Test.

In a video that emerged ESPNCricinfo, Tendulkar said, "Mere liye mai kahunga ki that was the ball of the series jo unhone (Akash Deep) Joe Root ko daala, and that was also the turning point of the second Test match. Mujhe laga waha se shuruat hui; vo ek jo Joe Root ko rattle kar ke out kar diya usne, that was an unbelievable ball (I would pick the delivery from Akash Deep to Joe Root as the ball of the series. That also became the turning point of the second Test. Things started to turn from there because he rattled Joe Root and dismissed him).

"Late movement hui off the pitch aur jo batter itne ache form mein hai, usne itne sarey runs banaye hai. Usey iss tareh se out karna is not easy. Toh mere liye that was possibly the ball of the series kyuki vo critical stage par usne daala vo ball. (There was late movement off the pitch, and to dismiss someone who's in form and has so many runs behind him is not easy. For me that was the ball of the series because it occurred at a critical stage of the game)."

This is the delivery Sachin Tendulkar voted as the 'best of the series':

#AkashDeep uproots #JoeRoot with a searing in-swinger, his second wicket puts England firmly on the back foot #ENGvIND 2nd TEST, Day 4 | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar https://t.co/2wT1UwEcdi pic.twitter.com/avu1sqRrcG

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 5, 2025

Many could feel that Siraj was hard done by.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team England Cricket Team Mohammed Siraj Akash Deep Sachin Tendulkar England vs India, 2025 Cricket