India pacer Mohammed Siraj drew lavish praise from veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane for his lion-hearted effort throughout the five Tests of the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

Siraj put his body on the line and played all five games in the hard-fought series, finishing as the leading wicket-taker. His grit was evident in the 1113 deliveries he bowled, picking up 23 wickets at an average of 32.43.

When India needed crucial wickets, Siraj stepped up, often stretching his spells to ensure smoother rotation. With Jasprit Bumrah playing only three Tests to manage his workload, the 31-year-old took on the mantle of leading India’s pace attack.

On the final day of the Oval Test, the hosts were 35 runs away from chasing a 374-run target, with four wickets in hand. However, Siraj once again lifted his game under pressure, returning with five wickets to propel the visitors to a narrow six-run victory, thereby ending the series in a 2-2 draw.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rahane spoke highly about Siraj, saying the fast bowler’s anger and aggression bring out the best in him.

It is pertinent to mention here that Siraj had made his Test debut under Rahane against Australia during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which India won by defeating Australia 2-1.

Rahane also narrated an anecdote, revealing how Siraj was left furious with one of his captaincy decisions during his debut series.

“What I like about Siraj is that he always liked 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,” Rahane stated.

“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," the Mumbai batter added.

Owing to his stunning exploits in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Siraj rose to the 15th position in the latest ICC Test Rankings. He was also declared Player of the Match in the Oval Test.

Rahane expressed his awe for Siraj’s aggression and intensity, saying: “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.”

“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,” he remarked.