England head coach Brendon McCullum expressed his admiration for Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj despite the side's heartbreaking six-run loss in the fifth Test at the Oval. Despite bowling a truckload of overs in the first four Tests, the tireless Siraj produced a match-winning performance in the series finale.The 31-year-old picked up four wickets in the first innings to keep England's lead to only 23 after India scored 224. He continued his impressive showing in the second innings, leading India to a memorable win with figures of 5/104 in 30.1 overs.Siraj picked up the final wicket of Gus Atkinson with a perfect yorker, setting off massive celebrations among the Indian players.Reflecting on the Indian pacer's heroics, McCullum said on Sky Sports (via TOI):"When [Mohammed] Siraj took that final wicket, as much as I was disappointed, I had admiration for him — for the fight he’s got as a cricketer and the way he was able to do what he did."Siraj finished as the series' leading wicket-taker with 23 scalps at an average of 32.43, while bowling almost 186 overs. The 31-year-old was adjudged the Player of the Match in India's series-levelling encounter at the Oval."I think 2-2 was a fair reflection" - Brendon McCullumBrendon McCullum believes the 2-2 final scoreline is a fair reflection of the cricket played by the two teams throughout the five-match series. England and India alternated wins in the first three outings, with the hosts taking a 2-1 lead.However, Shubman Gill's men displayed incredible fight to draw the penultimate Test at Manchester and pull off a heist in the series finale at the Oval."I think 2-2 was a fair reflection. Playing all five days of all five Tests becomes a mental exertion, and I thought the way they dealt with that was impressive. Obviously, we had to call in fresh legs for this last Test match. You know that fatigue is coming, but you don’t know what it’s like until it hits you," said McCullum (via the aforementioned source).He added:“It is the hardest thing in cricket — playing a five-match series and being tested as much as you are, for as long as you are. It tests you not just as a sportsperson but as a character because it questions how much you want it. As a fan of the game, I thought it was an unbelievable spectacle."The series was India's second consecutive 2-2 drawn Test result in England, following the 2021/22 tour.