Sunil Gavaskar was slightly unimpressed with Mohammed Siraj attempting to run out Temba Bavuma, which saw the India pacer unintentionally hurt the South Africa batter.
In the 62nd over of play of Day 5 of the first Test in Centurion, Mohammed Siraj picked up the ball and inadvertently threw it back at the South African batsman hoping for a run-out, but Temba Bavuma hadn’t even moved out and he copped the blow on his shin.
Sunil Gavaskar Said There Was No Need For Mohammed Siraj To Throw The Ball As Temba Bavuma Didn’t Take The Run
While the world of Twitter did not take too kindly to Mohammed Siraj’s act, Sunil Gavaskar feels the 27-year-old fast bowler should be talked to in regards to aggression. Sunil Gavaskar believes that Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj needs a dressing down after an incident in the first Test against South Africa in Centurion.
Mohammed Siraj gathered the ball in his followthrough and threw it back quite aggressively at Temba Bavuma. The South African was well in his crease and had no intentions of taking a run. Mohammed Siraj’s throw hit him right in the foot following which Temba Bavuma needed medical attention.
“There was no attempt to take the run. You are a little bit aggressive; you’ve gotten a bit carried away. But if there was an attempt to run, it would have been understandable. He’s there. He didn’t take the run. There was no need, absolutely no need for that. Siraj should be spoken to. At the end of the day, how gracious Temba Bavuma was when Siraj gave him the thumbs up,” Sunil Gavaskar said on air.
Keeping the Temba Bavuma episode aside, Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj has made improved by leaps and bounds. If 2021 is to be carefully glanced at, pacer Mohammed Siraj’s rise is perhaps the biggest individual positive for Indian cricket to happen.
Mohammed Siraj Was Retained By His IPL Franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore For IPL 2022 And He Had A Great 2021 In Tests
The way he started off at the Boxing Day Test in Australia and led the Indian pace attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, and Umesh Yadav, claiming a five-wicket haul in the Gabba Test was a sign of greater thing to come.
He kept it up in the Test series in England grabbing a four-for as India completed a historic win at the Lord’s cricket ground. Mohammed Siraj was in hot form for his IPL franchise RCB as well and was one of the four players retained by the franchise for the next season. And the 27-year-old quick ended the year on a high with disciplined bowling against South Africa in Centurion.
Mohammed Siraj has played only 11 Tests for India so far, claiming 36 wickets at an average of 27.94. He played a key role in India’s wins in the Melbourne and Brisbane Tests in the Australian tour. The 25-year-old pacer made his debut in the second Test in Melbourne and immediately made his mark in international cricket.
Eventually, he ended up as the highest wicket-taker for India with 13 wickets in the Border- Gavaskar Trophy against and in Australia in 2020/21. Mohammed Siraj was retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore before IPL 2022 mega auctions. RCB retained Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mohammed Siraj in the IPL retention. Mohammed Siraj was the third pick at a sum of Rs 7 crore.