Kumar Dharmasena, the umpire, recently recalled Mohammed Siraj’s bowling in the fifth Test against England at the Oval, saying he had the best view. Siraj’s bowling played a big role in India’s win as they defended 374 on Day 5 and won by 6 runs.
The right-arm bowler took 3 of the 4 wickets to fall on Day 5 and helped India draw the series. Siraj finished the match by bowling a sharp yorker to knock over Gus Atkison’s stumps. Dharmasena posted on Instagram a picture of Atkinson’s stumps getting hit by Siraj’s yorker and captioned it, “So lucky to witness this ball from the best seat.”
On Day 5, India needed 4 wickets and England needed 35 runs. Jamie Overton hit 2 boundaries off Prasidh Krishna’s first 2 balls and settled the nerves in the England camp. Dharmasena posted, “So lucky to witness this ball from the best seat.”
Siraj was Man of the Match in the Oval Test for his effort. He took 9 wickets in the match and 23 wickets in the series. Siraj was the highest wicket-taker for both teams in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy and has reached 15th place in the ICC Test Rankings.
India came into the Oval Test trailing 1-2 in the series but drew it with a good show. He performed well in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah too, taking 6/70 in the first innings of the second Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham. He bowled with a lot of energy, gave his all. Siraj’s effort has been praised by the cricket world as India started their World Test Championship (WTC) cycle 2025-27 with a drawn series.
Dharmasena was recently criticized for a gesture on Day 1 of the 5th Test between India and England at the Kennington Oval. He signalled an inside edge when England bowler Josh Tongue appealed for LBW against B Sai Sudharsan. Dharmasena’s gesture stopped England from reviewing the call which upset the fans.
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Umpires don’t have to explain why they deny an appeal. Players can review decisions they disagree with using DRS. But Dharmasena’s gesture kept England from using a review. Sanjay Bangar, former Indian batter and coach, said Dharmasena signalled an inside edge because of habits from before DRS. He said umpires have habits from before DRS where they used to give signals on appeals. He added, now umpires shouldn’t hint at their thoughts to avoid influencing the teams.
Indian umpire Anil Chaudhary said the gesture was a mistake, not an intentional attempt to help England. He said such mistakes can happen even in domestic matches but umpires need to be careful especially during the 15-second DRS window.
