I had admiration for Mohammed Siraj and the fight he has as a cricketer: Brendon McCullum

England head coach Brendon McCullum has opened up on the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy ending with the scoreline of 2-2 after India managed to bag a six-run win at the Oval in London on Monday, August 4.

While Mohammed Siraj played a crucial role with a nine-wicket match haul at the Oval, McCullum stated that it was one of the best Test series he has ever been a part of in his coaching career.

"That is the best five-match test series I have ever been a part of and witnessed. It just oscillated so much right throughout the six weeks, and I felt it had everything," McCullum told Sky Sports Cricket.

"I thought there was hostility at times, camaraderie at times, great cricket at times, and there was some average cricket because of the pressure they were put under. We knew it was going to be hard coming into the series; we knew they were going to test us physically and mentally," he added.

"I think it tested both teams more than we expected," he noted.

Furthermore, McCullum heaped praise on the Indian seamer Mohammed Siraj, who scalped three wickets on the fifth and final day of the Oval Test to steer the game towards Men In Blue as they bagged a narrow six-run win.

"It was a cracking series to be a part of, and when Siraj took that final wicket, as much as I was disappointed, I had admiration for him and the fight he has got as a cricketer and the way he was able to do what he did," he said.

"I think 2-2 was a fair reflection," he concluded.

Notably, Siraj ended the five-match Test series with 23 wickets, emerging as the leading wicket-taker of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, bowling a whopping 185.1 overs on the whole tour.

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