New Delhi: Former India coach and Australian legend Greg Chappell has asserted that ace pacer Mohammed Siraj is ready to become actual leader of Indian bowling attack with or without Jasprit Bumrah. Siraj, who bowled more than 1000 balls in the five Test matches against England, ended the series with 23 wickets to his name.
His nine wickets in the fifth and final Test match at the Oval got India a historic series-levelling win over England as they managed to end the five-game affair 2-2. Chappell said that he has showcased many fine performances at different venues in the world but his performance at the Oval was class apart, He further said that with or without Bumrah, he is ready to be the spiritual as well as actual leader of Shubman Gill’s attack.
Siraj key factor for India
In a column the former India coach wrote for ESPNcricinfo, he said that Siraj was the main reason that India was glorious in the series, saying that he does not think that it is unfair for the fine batting efforts by the batters of the side. Indian batters scripted history by scoring 12 hundreds in the five Tests, highest for the country in any series.
‘He bowled like a man possessed, but also a man who had learned the art of pacing himself, of understanding the moments that matter. What impressed me most wasn’t the effort – which was immense – but the evolution. He started as a bowler with passion. He ended as a bowler with passion and purpose. That’s the difference between a player and a leader,’ Chappell explained the bowler’s gradual growth.
What Siraj did in absence of Bumrah was heroic in Chappell’s observation. To bowl more than 185 overs in five Test matches over six weeks in any condition is a physical, mental and emotional marathon. To do so with consistent intensity, while carrying the attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah for stretches, is bordering on heroic, says the Australian.
(With PTI inputs)