Mohammad Siraj took 2 wickets from consecutive balls.Image Credit Source: PTI
Jasprit Bumrah is not in the team. There is a lack of experience in bowling. In such a situation, who will handle the front? This question raised this question during the India and Australia Test match at Gaba Maidan in Brisbane in January 2021. This was the same ground where Australia had not lost any Test match for 32 years. After about 4 and a half years, the same question also arose in the second Test match between India and England at Edgbaston Maidan in Birmingham, where Team India did not win a match in 56 years of history. Mohammad Siraj once again took up this responsibility like 4 and a half years ago. On the third day of Edgbaston Test, Star Bhartiya Pacer killed England’s 2 biggest batsmen, Joe Root and Ben Stokes, in two consecutive balls.
During the Indo-Australia Test match in Gaba, Siraj was only 3-4 matches and then the most experienced bowler in the team. But despite such little experience, Siraj shook the strong batting line-up of Australia. This time in Edgbaston, he landed on the field with the experience of Test cricket of more than 4 years. But this time he was under the question of questions because there was no continuity in his bowling and in his overall performance, which should be in such an experienced player. But when the team needed and when he had to lead the bowling attack as the most experienced bowler, Siraj showed a glimpse of the Gaba Test.
Siraj played the game in the second over
Siraj, who has faced criticism due to poor bowling in the first innings of the Leeds Test, made a strong comeback in the second innings. Success was not found even then but from there he was seen returning to the rhythm. Siraj continued this rhythm in Edgbaston and shook England’s batting. Star Pacer, who has become known as ‘DSP Siraj’ in Indian cricket, took the wicket of opener Jack Croly on the second day of the match. Then on the third day, Siraj started such a start, which broke the back of English batting. In the second over of the day, Siraj took the wickets of Root and Stokes on consecutive balls.
Route and stokes framed like this
England star batsman Joe Root, who scored more than 13 thousand runs, who became the first victim of Siraj, held the innings between the fall of the wicket later. Route was able to add only 4 runs in his score of the first day and was caught out by wicketkeeper in the leg side off Siraj’s ball. Captain Ben Stokes again came, who had a big responsibility to handle the team. But Stokes would not have thought that Siraj would welcome him in this way. Indian Pacer threw Stokes the first ball bouncer and Stokes was shocked. In an attempt to leave the ball, he failed and after taking a bang with his bat, Keeper Rishabh Pant took easy catch. Stokes, which scored more than 6700 runs for England, returned to the pavilion without opening the account.
