Mohammed Siraj is currently spearheading India's bowling attack in the fifth Test match against England at The Oval. On Day 3, Siraj dismissed opener Zak Crawley in England’s second innings, taking his tally to 100 wickets in overseas Test matches. This milestone puts him among an elite group of Indian pacers.
With this achievement, Siraj becomes the seventh Indian fast bowler to take 100 or more wickets in away Tests. He now stands alongside legends such as Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah.
While Siraj’s achievement is commendable, the record for the most wickets by an Indian in away Tests remains with Anil Kumble, who took 269 wickets in 69 matches. Kapil Dev follows him with 215 wickets in 66 away Tests.
Since his debut in December 2020 in Australia, Siraj has performed consistently in foreign conditions:
Australia: 33 wickets in 8 Tests
England: 42 wickets in 11 Tests
South Africa: 12 wickets in 4 Tests
In the first innings at The Oval, Siraj bowled 16.2 overs, conceding 86 runs and taking 4 wickets. He then bowled 3.5 overs in the second innings and picked up Crawley’s wicket on the final ball of Day 3.
If Siraj takes three more wickets in this match, he will surpass Kapil Dev’s record of 43 wickets in England. This would make Siraj the third-highest Indian wicket-taker in Tests played in England. Currently, Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma hold the top spots with 51 wickets each.
In the current 2025 Test series between India and England, Siraj has claimed 19 wickets in five Tests, equalling Josh Tongue’s tally, although the English pacer has played only three matches. One more wicket would make Siraj the leading wicket-taker of the series.
