Siraj ran through the New Zealand top-order on Day 2 of the second Test in Mumbai.
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra lauded pacer Mohammed Siraj for his fiery spell against New Zealand in the ongoing second Test in Mumbai, saying that the pacer didn’t allow anyone to miss Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami.
After Team India was bowled out for 325 runs in their first innings, they came out all guns blazing to bundle out New Zealand for just 62 runs.
Pacer Mohammed Siraj looked a class apart and set the tone for his side. The right-arm pacer on the first delivery of his second over removed Will Young for just 4 runs and then on the last ball of the very same over, sent stand-in captain Tom Latham packing for 10 runs.
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If this was not enough, Siraj then in his next over cleaned up Ross Taylor for just 1 run with a peach of a delivery to leave New Zealand tumbling at 17/3.
Mohammed Siraj’s venomous spell was lauded by many fans and cricket experts including cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra, who said that the pacer didn’t allow anyone to miss the fast bowling duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami.
“He did not allow us to miss anyone. We didn't talk about Ishant being injured, we didn't talk about Bumrah and Shami not playing, about whom we might have talked about in the last match. We feel the absence of Bumrah and Shami less when Mohammed Siraj is there,” Aakash Chopra said on Star Sports.
Analyzing Ross Taylor’s dismissal, Chopra said that Mohammed Siraj bowled an unplayable delivery to the batter and it moved a little as well.
"But it's not just that. You can come running hard and bowl with passion but you need the skill to take wickets at this level and he has that skill. The ball with which he dismissed Ross Taylor was almost unplayable, moved little, as much as it was required to move,” he said.
Commenting on Tom Latham’s wicket, Aakash Chopra pointed out that Mohammed Siraj stamped his authority by bowling two bouncers to the batter and also placed fielder in the deep for that thing only.
"He bowled two consecutive bouncers to Tom Latham and told him to forget Kanpur, that this is Wankhede, he had not played there but is playing here. The fielder was also kept in the deep for this thing only,” he said.
(Star Sports inputs)