Mohammed Siraj emerged as the star of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England after he walked away with the most wickets in the five-Test series. The right-arm pacer scalped 23 wickets and led India to a famous six-run win against the hosts in the fifth and final Test at the Oval. The 31-year-old took five wickets in the second innings of the final game, helping Shubman Gill’s India register a miraculous win against all odds to level the series.
Ajinkya Rahane recalls Mohammed Siraj’s debut Test series(Action Images via Reuters)
Ajinkya Rahane, who had led India to a famous Border-Gavaskar Trophy win against Australia in 2020-21, spoke highly about Siraj, saying the pacer’s anger and aggression bring out the best in him.
It must be mentioned that Siraj had made his Test debut under Rahane against Australia in the famous 2020-21 series, which India won 2-1. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper in the Indian Premier League (IPL) also shared an anecdote, revealing how Siraj was left angry with one of his captaincy decisions during his debut series.
“What I like about Siraj is that he always liked to bowl longer spells. Even in the 2020-21 series, he was willing to do that with the same intensity. In Australia, when he was making his debut, he was angry because I had introduced him into the attack very late,” said Rahane on his YouTube channel.
“He still has the anger inside him. This anger brings out the best in Mohammed Siraj. We saw in the England series. The aggression in his bowling and the intensity with which he bowls, he is always warmed up by the time he bowls his first ball. This is the great quality of a great bowler,” he added.
Siraj stands up in Bumrah’s absence
Before the series against England even got underway, it was public knowledge that Bumrah would play just three Tests to manage his workload. In the two Tests that the No.1 Test bowler didn’t play, Siraj stood up and led the pace attack.
In the five-match series, Siraj bowled more than 185 overs. Even in the second Test at Edgbaston, Siraj returned with six wickets in the first innings in the absence of Bumrah.
“Sometimes, other bowlers take 8-10 balls to warm up. Some bowlers take two balls to do so. But Siraj is always there. Just like James Anderson, he is always there from ball no.1. Even when he is bowling his eighth or ninth over in the spell, he still has the same aggression and intensity,” said Rahane.
“I have noticed one change in him; he is confident about his own fields. When a bowler tells the captain, ‘Give me this field’, then it becomes really easy. In this series, the responsibility helped him when Jasprit Bumrah was not there,” he added.
Owing to his performance in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Siraj rose to the 15th position in the latest ICC Test Rankings. Siraj was also adjudged as Player of the Match in the Oval Test.