(Reuters) -Mohammed Siraj landed in England as Jasprit Bumrah's trusted sidekick and then produced a stellar display across five gruelling tests to prove that he possesses both the heart and the craft to lead India's pace battery.
India arrived with a depleted attack after veteran seamer Mohammed Shami was deemed unfit for the tour and pace spearhead Bumrah available only for three of the five tests as part of his workload management.
It meant Siraj had to shoulder a bigger responsibility and the 31-year-old responded with a lion-hearted effort - playing all five tests and finishing the series as its highest wicket-taker.
Thanks largely to his never-say-die attitude, India drew the series 2-2, winning in Birmingham and at the Oval - incidentally matches that Bumrah sat out.
Siraj bowled a staggering 185-odd overs in the series claiming 23 wickets and drawing 283 false shots - edges or misses - according to data and analytics provider CricViz.
England coach Brendon McCullum was among those impressed by Siraj's tireless aggression.
"You got to tip your cap sometimes," McCullum told Test Match Special after Siraj fashioned India's thrilling six-run win in the series finale on Monday.
"A guy playing his fifth test match (of the series), bowling 30 overs, bowling 90 miles-an-hour in the 30th over to take five wickets to get the job done - fair play."
Siraj not only survived the rigour of playing five tests in a row but was also unrelenting whenever he had the ball in his hand, regardless of the stage of the match.
It prompted England batting mainstay Joe Root to call Siraj a "real warrior" while former India captain Virat Kohli singled out the bowler for his relentless aggression.
"Special mention to Siraj who will put everything on the line for the team. Extremely happy for him," Kohli wrote on X.
Siraj, who won the player of the match award at The Oval, did not fuss about his workload and said his "body is fine".
"(Whether) you bowl the sixth over or the ninth over, I don't care," he told reporters on Monday.
"I believe you bowl every ball for your country, not for yourself. (When) you play for the country, give it everything."
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; Editing by Alison Williams)
