IND vs ENG 5th Test: India’s star pacer Mohammed Siraj has shown his love and respect for fellow pacer Jasprit Bumrah yet again. He reckoned that when Bumrah was told to leave the team ahead of the ongoing match, he requested him not to go and also asked to whom he would give a hug after taking a five-for if it wasn’t for Bumrah.
Bumrah, who gave the fifth Test match a miss, left the side on Sunday, July 31. Siraj didn’t register a five-wicket haul during the first innings but instead took four wickets and helped the team skittle the hosts for 247 runs.
“Jassi bhai ko ye bola tha, bhaiya aap ja kyu rahe ho? Mai 5 wicket leke aake kisko hug karu? Toh unhone bola mai hu idhar hi, tu bas 5 wicket lele. (I asked Jassi, brother Why are you going? Who’ll I come to hug when I take a five-wicket haul? He just said, ‘I am here, you go and take five wickets’)” Siraj was heard as saying in the video shared by the BCCI on their official social media account.
During the same video, Prasidh Krishna, who also took as many wickets and rose for the team in Bumrah’s absence, talked about the pacers in the team.
“Booms has been a great, great part of this. I think it’s really important for us to enjoy each other. When you are on the field, you are speaking to each other and have that trust. That trust is only going to make the team better,” he added.
BCCI’s medical staff said that it was appropriate for Bumrah to play just three Test matches of the ongoing series so that he can stay fit for a long time. He was seen in action during the first, third, and fourth Test matches.
‘And Siraj, I have been playing a lot for five years now. I played with him a lot in the IPL as well. We sit together a lot and spend a lot of time together. Same with Akash Deep. I think the fast-bowling unit is looking pretty good,” he concluded.
The Shubman Gill-led side were 75/2 at stumps and were leading by 52 runs. They will try to post a target of more than 250 runs as it won’t be easy for the host to chase down a target like this during the fourth innings on a tricky surface.