"This series was defined by one photo"- R Ashwin makes stunning statement after India's 6-run win in ENG vs IND 2025 5th Test

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said that the moment of Prasidh Krishna celebrating and then feeling frustrated immediately after was the defining image of the series for him. On Day 4 of the fifth Test of the series against England, Harry Brook skied a delivery from the pacer. Mohammed Siraj caught it on the long-leg boundary, but he stepped on the boundary skirting after taking the catch.

That turned the mood from jubilation to agony for Krishna and gave Brook a life in the second innings. On his YouTube channel 'Ash ki baat', Ashwin said:

"This series was defined by one photo. Prasidh Krishna's celebration and frustration. That has been this series. The margin between victory and defeat has only been that much. Both teams have found ways to put themselves in winning situations, and they have lost it. Both teams have come back from really poor situations as well. It is a series to be defined forever".

The 38-year-old also said that the recently concluded series was marginally better than the 2005 Ashes. He added that the current India and England players have a lot more imperfections, as compared to the England and Australia teams 20 years ago. Ashwin said:

"Everyone is comparing it to the 2005 Ashes series. But I think this series was slightly better than the 2005 Ashes because there was so much more imperfection from both sides. That Australian side had Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Michael Kasprowicz, and Shaun Tait. England had Simon Jones, Steve Harmison, and Ashley Giles."

"Both bowling attacks were experienced. Batting was also experienced. There was a lot of hard-fought cricket where you could not see a lot of mistakes. But in this series, there were a lot of mistakes, but the youngsters corrected those mistakes, and they have gotten better through the series," Ashwin added.

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Ravichandran Ashwin calls Mohammed Siraj a once-in-a-generation bowler after Oval heroics

The real star with the ball for India in the fifth Test at The Oval was Mohammed Siraj. The pacer's match haul of 9/190 paved the way for the tourists to win the Test match and level the series 2-2.

Ravichandran Ashwin said that the cricketing gods had been on the pacer's side because he always kept running in. He also referred to the 31-year-old as a 'once-in-a-generation' bowler, for his attitude on the field. Ashwin said:

"The cricketing gods have been very fair to him. Why? Because despite all these things, when he gets it wrong, he never stops running in. How easy would it have been for him to walk away, saying he was having pain in different parts of the body? But he never walked away. He was there in the middle. If Shubman Gill got a wicket from Prasidh Krishna, Siraj was on the field to take up the next over. He got a break for three overs. Washington Sundar bowled two overs; he was back to bowl that spell. The cricketing gods recognised these things. That is why he got those wickets; he got the right conditions in the end, and he is there at the top of the charts, winning that Test match and drawing that series for you.

"Very, very, very well deserved. Siraj, may your tribe grow. It is very hard to find individuals like you. They say you don't get a lot of players like Jasprit Bumrah, even a player like Siraj, with that attitude, don't come around a lot, especially from India. Mohammed Siraj, for his pure attitude, is a once-in-a-generation bowler," the former India off-spinner said.

Mohammed Siraj emerged as the leading wicket-taker in the series. The pacer claimed 23 wickets in five Tests at an average of 32.43 to put himself on top of the bowling charts in the five-Test series.