On Day 4 of the fifth Test match between England and India at The Oval in London, Mohammed Siraj made a grave mistake by dropping the dangerous Harry Brook while he was batting on 19. The right-handed batsman put England on the verge of a series-ending triumph by smashing a defiant century, making India pay.
The incident took place during England’s run-chase in the 35th over. With a score of 137/3 and 210 runs needed to win the game, they were in a precarious position. When Prasidh Krishna delivered a back-of-a-length delivery, Brook attempted a pull shot, but all he could muster was a top-edge that went to Mohammed Siraj, who was standing at fine leg. The Hyderabad seamer made the catch with little hassle, but he was unable to account for the boundary cushions. The England supporters were cock-a-whoop as he took the catch and stepped on it.
Feeling that the catch was taken cleanly, Krishna began to celebrate the wicket. But when Siraj grabbed his head in his hand, Krishna realised that rather than taking a crucial wicket, he had let away six runs. At that point, the two Indian pacers looked at each other in frustration.
Out? Six!?
What’s Siraj done 😱 pic.twitter.com/hp6io4X27l
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 3, 2025
But as lunchtime approached, Siraj hurried over to apologise to Krishna for his oversight. The two embraced after the latter pardoned the senior statesman.
But for India, the drop turned out to be highly expensive. Brook hit 111 off just 98 balls, sending the Indian bowlers reeling. In addition to Joe Root reaching his 39th Test century, he and Root had a counterattacking partnership of 195 runs off 211 deliveries.
On Day 4, England finished with 339/6 at Stumps. To win the Test match, they need to score an additional 35 runs. India, meanwhile, is looking for four wickets. In 3.4 overs, the second new ball is also due.
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