Siraj while bowling against South Africa AImage Credit source: PTI
Before the Test series with South Africa, Team India’s star fast bowler Mohammad Siraj sharpened his preparations by playing for India A. In the second unofficial test match against South Africa A, Siraj sweated profusely on the field and during this he also looked effective on some occasions. But just before the start of the series, he also got a big lesson that he will have to remain disciplined during the Test match. This happened on the last day of the match when Siraj dismissed the captain of South Africa A but then he could not get this success due to no-ball.
This happened with Siraj in the second match of the ongoing Test series between India A and South Africa A in Bengaluru. Sunday 9 November was the last day of this match and South Africa was chasing a target of 417 runs. During this period, South Africa A had put Team India in trouble by batting strongly. At a time when India A needed a wicket, Siraj did this and dismissed South Africa A captain Marcus Ackerman.
Made the first mistake, then corrected it
Siraj bowled an excellent bouncer, on which Ackerman was caught by the wicketkeeper. He had almost reached the pavilion when the umpire declared it a no-ball. Siraj looked disappointed by this and then went back to his run-up. The African captain also returned to the crease and started taking his innings forward. But Siraj did not take much time to correct his mistake and sent Ackerman back to the pavilion on the third ball of the next over. This time Siraj’s foot was inside the crease and Ackerman had to go out of the field. In this way, Siraj got his rightful wicket in just 5 balls.
India A’s crushing defeat
This match proved to be important for Siraj in preparation for the Test series starting from 14th November, where he bowled a total of 29 overs in both the innings. However, he did not get much success and could take only 3 wickets. Its effect was also visible on the result of the match, where South Africa A achieved the big target of 417 runs given by India A on the last day by losing only 5 wickets and ended the series with a draw of 1-1.