On the last morning of the fifth Test on Monday, England batsman Harry Brook had thought his team would win easily, but he acknowledged that the hosts’ dreams were crushed by India pacer Mohammed Siraj’s valiant stint.
As the tourists secured a 2-2 draw in the arduous five-Test series, pacer Mohammed Siraj took nine wickets in the match and was instrumental in India’s stunning six-run triumph.
“I thought we’ll easily take it home in the morning, but the way Siraj bowled, he deserved the success today. Siraj has had a phenomenal series and a finish,” said Brook after being chosen by India head coach Gautam Gambhir as England’s Player of the Series.
Brook, who led England’s comeback with a spectacular 111 in the second innings, claimed that the ball bounced around in the grey skies at the Oval as India defended 35 runs on the last day.
“I thought the pitch would be flatter after the roller. But it zipped around under the cloud. Woakes would always go out no matter what and it’s unfortunate that we didn’t get over the line,” he added.
Brook, who added 195 runs for the fourth wicket, lamented that despite him and Joe Root, England was unable to reach the finish line.
“Our innings was going really well when I and Joe were batting. But this series has been full of ups and downs and the finish was fairly fitting. My mindset was to close the game as quickly as possible.
“Hindsight is beautiful. I’ve played alright this series. Not being able to win it is devastating. Happy to contribute as much as I have. It’s been a very intense series, we’ve not left anything,” he added.
