Siraj Snags Four Wickets in England’s Initial Innings of Fifth Test

LONDON: Acknowledging Mohammed Siraj’s elevated performance in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra lauded the fast bowler on Friday.

During his YouTube broadcast, Chopra commended Siraj’s aptitude for delivering extended spells while sustaining high intensity, even under challenging conditions or unfavorable match circumstances.

Chopra noted, “Even if Siraj concedes some runs, he remains committed to his strategy of bowling lengthy spells, which is pivotal to his success in capturing wickets.”

The former cricketer emphasized an intriguing statistic, revealing that Siraj’s bowling average stands at 35.00 when Bumrah is playing, but significantly improves to 25.59 when he spearheads the attack without Bumrah.

“His performance escalates in Bumrah’s absence. The commencement wasn’t ideal, as they faced heavy hitting. Initially, the pitch appeared green and challenging for batting, but upon their arrival, it seemed to transform into a batting-friendly surface.

“They were scoring at a rate of seven to eight runs per over, which posed a significant threat,” Chopra elaborated.

Chopra conceded that Siraj experiences occasional unproductive days.

“He may not consistently achieve perfect bowling, occasionally drifting down the leg side or permitting runs at an elevated economy rate.

“These occurrences are natural. However, has he ever delivered less than his maximum effort? Has Siraj ever held back his utmost dedication?” he concluded.

Notably, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s undefeated half-century, combined with Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna’s four-wicket contributions, fueled India’s strong resurgence on the second day of the fifth Test against England at The Oval on Friday.

By the close of the second day, the visiting team stood at 75/2, leading by 52 runs, with Jaiswal and Akash Deep remaining not out at 51 and four, respectively.

India encountered a shaky commencement to their second innings, with their opening duo amassing 46 runs before KL Rahul was caught at first slip by Joe Root off Josh Tongue, scoring a labored seven from 28 deliveries.

Subsequently, Jaiswal engaged in a brief 24-run partnership for the second wicket with Sai Sudharsan, who was dismissed by Gus Atkinson after scoring 11.