There is more to Mohammed Siraj than England's nickname for him - he is a born entertainer with skill, heart and passion, writes NASSER HUSSAIN

Daily Mail​

a day ago

This series got the scoreline it deserved because a 3-1 victory would have flattered England given the number of sessions India won, the fact they had its leading run getters, lost all five tosses and had to rest their premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah.
Of course, they ended up winning the two games that Bumrah didn't play, and the reason for that was because of one man, really - Mohammed Siraj.
How fitting it was for him to get the final wicket of the best finale imaginable. On Sunday, I was critical that the match wasn't finished on the fourth evening, but then we would have been denied a box office hour's play in front of a sellout crowd, a huge proportion of which were Indian fans, and Siraj bowling superbly.
It was an incredible final twist when you consider that he endured two of the most traumatic moments of these epic matches. The obvious one at Lord's, dragging the ball onto his stumps for England to go 2-1 up, and then down at fine leg at The Oval, stepping over the rope to reprieve Harry Brook 19 runs into a hundred.
The second incident could have been like that Shane Warne moment in the 2005 Ashes when he gave Kevin Pietersen a life on the same ground. Not remembered for bowling your heart out and being the leading wicket-taker in the series, but for a dropped catch.
Luckily for him, though, he's got the fitness and will to succeed, meaning he will keep going as long as the opposition are out there. Captains love people like him that will literally bowl all day.
The Indian public love the game of cricket, and want to see that their players care too. There were women in tears in the crowd, it meant so much to them.
Siraj is a cricketer that always gives it everything. Yes, he plays the pantomime villain at times, a bit like Warney did, and so people love to hate him, but he regularly has that massive smile on his face too.
He's fiery, the England boys call him Mr. Angry, and he has the longest follow through in the history of the game, but he demands your attention. You could do a montage of the histrionics - down on his knees in despair at Lord's, the celebrations and dejection when DRS decisions go one way or another.
He's a born entertainer, but crucially he's got all the other attributes you need at the highest level: heart, passion, and ultimately skill.
He's gone from being a hit-the-deck bowler using wobble seam to trap people LBW - as he did with Joe Root - to one who has developed outswing so big that Shubman Gill wasn't interested in taking the second new ball.
Then, there is the fabulous yorker, such as the one to Crawley late on day three. He went to it again just before midday, knowing that Gus Atkinson was trying to hit him over midwicket for a second six that would have tied the game, nailing it under the most immense pressure.
If Siraj gets it wrong, India lose the series, so it was perfect execution from a champion cricketer that has unfairly courted controversy over the past month.
It was very harsh when he got fined for making physical contact with Ben Duckett at Lord's, because although I don't like physical contact in cricket, it was accidental. He didn't move in Duckett's direction.
And the game is worse off if you have 22 robots with no passion. Being in opponents' faces makes him tick.
Occasionally as captain you might have to drag him out of the face of a batter because you don't want him to be spending all his match fee on fines or getting banned, but you'd rather have that than someone who's a bit meek and doesn't feel that the cauldron of Test cricket is one they belong in.
The fifth morning was so dramatic that you really couldn't script it, concluding the best series I've seen since 2005.
It has carried that extra layer of commitment and intensity: Rishabh Pant hobbling down the stairs to bat with a broken foot in Manchester, Chris Woakes going out there with a dislocated shoulder here.
Now it's finished, I will miss it. So incredible has it been that it makes you wonder why this format is ever questioned? If you landed someone 30 days ago and took them around this country's Test match venues, asking them: Is this thing we call Test cricket working? They'd look at you funny. It's so bloody good.
It's importance is why Woakes ventured out at No 11, and it was nice that three or four of the Indian players went up to him and patted him, thankfully on the right shoulder, saying: 'Good luck.'
The series has been incredible and makes you wonder why the format is ever questioned
Fortunately for him, the wicket fell on the last ball of the over, so he wasn't on strike, but even running through for singles, he was in agony.
There has to be a duty of care towards players, but he told his team-mates there was no other option for him. He cares deeply about England and winning for his country, and he'd never have forgiven himself if he stayed in the dressing room when they needed 15-20 to win.
His attitude - coupled with the brilliance of Siraj - is why we love this game so much.