Siraj was the day's hero and India have pulled ahead, but England are not out of the contest by any stretch of imagination.
When Mohammed Siraj sends the ball down with the seam wobbling, he doesn't know what the ball will do -- crucially, the batter doesn't, either. When it jags back sharply on a wicket with a bit of grass, and keeps just a bit low, as it did at The Oval on Day 2 of the fifth Test here, it spells doom for the batter.
Siraj carved the heart out of England's batting in an eight-over spell, picking up 3 for 35 in it, trapping Ollie Pope, Joe Root and Jacob Bethell LBW, making them look helpless. He got Harry Brook as his fourth wicket when the world's No. 3 Test batter tried to manufacture a single to keep No. 10 Josh Tongue away from the strike.
The fall of England's ninth wicket also ended their innings, for Chris Woakes' shoulder dislocation yesterday means he will take no further part in this match.
India, down and out at lunch today, were resuscitated by Siraj and Prasidh Krishna and are in a much happier position than they were a day ago. They lead by 52 with eight wickets in hand, England's bowling attack has been reduced by one with the injury to Woakes, and the third day is expected to be sunny and excellent for batting.
Siraj, excitable and passionate and even angry, pinned England's batters thrice at the crease, right in front of the wicket; these included Captain Pope (22), the world's No. 1 Test batter Root (29), and the exciting young Bethell (11). The fourth, the world's No. 3 Test batter Brook, was bowled -- Siraj's deliveries were zeroing in at the stumps like heat-seeking missiles.
Krishna got four wickets, too -- three of them through the batters' errors, the fourth with one that jagged in sharply off the pitch.
England dropped three catches in 18 overs of India's second innings --- that just could be the stroke of luck India need to draw level in a series in which they are 1-2 down despite winning more sessions overall.
Yashasvi Jaiswal played with an impetuosity that's delightful when it comes off, infuriating when it doesn't. He's got a 50 in the final innings of the series, and he will wish to make his luck count --- he was dropped twice, on 20 and 40, at the slips and in the deep. He played with inventiveness, too, the two crazy T20 shots being the ramp for six over the wicket-keeper's head, and an upper-cut for another, both off Jamie Overton.
India would be the happier of the two teams, and no one could have predicted such an outcome after witnessing a morning of carnage. But they can't feel too comfortable, too, at the driver's seat -- it's just that sort of English wicket on which a bowler may bowl a jaffa without warning, out of the blue.
India were blown away in the morning -- they lost four wickets for six runs and subsided to 224, and England's openers smashed 92 in 12 overs.
Disaster seemed utter and complete -- they were pushed to a precipice from which there was no coming back when Zak Crawley Ben and Duckett drove and pulled, swept and reverse-swept them into despair.
The match turned when Duckett feathered one from Akash Deep to the wicket-keeper while attempting another reverse scoop. Lunch was taken with England at 109/1 in 16 overs, and India needed to act urgently to avoid being blown away.
They did just that after lunch --- it was a changed team, more fired up, intense, combative. They bowled fuller and straighter and let the wicket, which still had much to offer, to do the rest.
Siraj was the day's hero and India have pulled ahead, but England are not out of the contest by any stretch of imagination.