“He was angry” - Ajinkya Rahane reveals an interesting anecdote involving Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj had an outstanding five-match Test series in England, taking 23 wickets and finishing as the highest wicket-taker. In the absence of ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah, he led the bowling attack with confidence and took responsibility, earning praise from fans, especially in the fifth and final Test at the Oval.

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Now, team India cricketer Ajinkya Rahane has also praised Siraj. He recalled an incident from Siraj’s debut Test series against Australia in 2020–21. Rahane was the stand-in captain for the last three matches of that series. According to him, Siraj was a bit upset with him at that time. Rahane also said that aggression and intensity are key for Siraj to perform well.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rahane said, "What I like about Siraj is that he always likes to bowl longer spells. Even in the 2020-21 series, he was willing to do that with the same intensity. In Australia, when he was making his debut, he was angry because I had introduced him into the attack very late. He still has the anger inside him. This anger brings out the best in Mohammed Siraj. We saw in the England series. The aggression in his bowling and the intensity with which he bowls, he is always warmed up by the time he bowls his first ball. This is the great quality of a great bowler.”

He added, "Sometimes, other bowlers take 8-10 balls to warm up. Some bowlers take two balls to do so. But Siraj is always there. Just like James Anderson, he is always there from ball no.1. Even when he is bowling his eighth or ninth over in the spell, he still has the same aggression and intensity."

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The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper also noted that Siraj has learned to take responsibility, especially when senior bowlers like Bumrah are absent. 

"I have noticed one change in him; he is confident about his own fields. When a bowler tells the captain, 'Give me this field', then it becomes really easy. In this series, the responsibility helped him when Jasprit Bumrah was not there," Rahane concluded.

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