Former England captain David Gower expressed admiration for Mohammed Siraj’s relentless spirit and fitness during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series. The Hyderabad pacer featured in all five Tests and consistently bowled with intense determination and energy.
Mohammed Siraj ended the series as the leading wicket-taker, claiming 23 wickets at an average of 32.43. His crucial five-wicket haul in the fourth innings of the final Test at The Oval was pivotal in India’s narrow six-run victory, which helped level the series 2-2.
Gower Praises Siraj’s Fitness and Determination
Gower was particularly impressed by Mohammed Siraj’s endurance, highlighting how he managed to bowl over 30 overs in England’s second innings at The Oval, a feat that few seamers have managed in recent years. He even jokingly expressed a desire to learn about Siraj’s diet to share with the England bowling squad.
“𝑰’𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅’𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒔. 𝑺𝒊𝒓𝒂𝒋 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝑻𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒈𝒖𝒆. 𝑯𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 30 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒈𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒑,” 𝑮𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑱𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒍.
Gower added,
“𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅’𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒈𝒈𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒇𝒊𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒘 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔, 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒖𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉. 𝑺𝒊𝒓𝒂𝒋’𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆.”
Mohammed Siraj’s Leadership and Impact
With Jasprit Bumrah sidelined during the second and fifth Tests, Siraj stepped up as the spearhead of the Indian bowling attack. At 31, he also mentored younger bowlers like Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna, sharing insights to help them perform at their best.
Siraj’s consistent performances and leadership were key factors in India’s competitive edge throughout the series, underscoring his importance to the team’s success.
Also Read: Sunil Gavaskar Criticizes ECB Over Snub of Tendulkar and Anderson at Trophy Ceremony