Unde-fire Mohammed Siraj bounced back and looked in good rhythm with the ball on Day 4 of the Boxing Day Test at MCG. Siraj finished wicketless in Australia’s first innings as the critics started raising questions over his place in the XI, but the star pacer roared back in the second innings to claim three crucial wickets. The Indian paceman brought his A-game to the table and dismissed Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne.
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar was highly impressed with Siraj’s performance on Day 4 and said that his desperation for success brought out the best in him, as he brought a lot more energy to his bowling.
“The fact of the matter is Mohammed Siraj realized that he had to put in his best show. So what he did basically was just ran in with a lot more energy, just put in a lot more effort. And sometimes that’s all you need. And it was evident when we saw the speed gun, he was four or five kilometers quicker. There were a couple of balls over that were touching 140. In the first innings, it was maybe 134, 135. So sometimes it’s just about bending your back and forget about all the other issues. And that’s what he did. And he was desperate for success,” Manjrekar said on Star Sports.
Siraj has taken 16 wickets in the series so far and often came under the scanner for not providing able support to Jasprit Bumrah from the other end, but that was not the case on Day 4. Siraj tried hard to match the beats with Bumrah, who claimed four wickets. He managed to claim big wickets at crucial junctures of the game.
Manjrekar pointed out that whenever Siraj was pushed against the wall, he managed to bounce back, which is why India has embraced him in the past few years.
“Sometimes when you push against the wall, and we’ve seen that with Mohammed Siraj, he comes up with the goods. And that’s why Indian cricket has embraced somebody like him just for his sheer spirit and temperament. And that’s all that was needed for him to know that this is the day to do it,” he added.
‘Mohammed Siraj was full of energy, running in with intent’: Justin Langer
Veteran Australian cricketer Justin Langer also praised Siraj for his efforts on Day 4 and called it the beauty of Test cricket when a player proves his critics wrong with instant impact.
“We were questioning whether Siraj would play in the Sydney Test match, but then you see him come out today—he was full of energy, running in with intent, lighter on his feet, and bowled very, very well. It’s a great credit to him. And that’s the beauty of Test cricket—things can change in an instant. It was a great spell of bowling,” Langer said on Star Sports.
