'Siraj gives everything for India, and it is credit to him for that, the way he approaches cricket.'
England batting mainstay Joe Root has heaped praise on Indian bowler Mohammed Siraj, who kept troubling England with his relentless pace and bowled 26 overs, yielding figures of 2/95, he called the bowler a "warrior".
In the ongoing series, Siraj is the top wicket-taker with 20 scalps at an average of over 36, with a six-fer to his name and has bowled the most overs across both teams, with 181.2 overs.
"He is someone that you want on your team. He is that kind of character. He gives everything for India, and it is credit to him for that, the way he approaches cricket. He has got this fake anger about him sometimes, which I can see straight through."
"You can tell he is actually a really nice lad. But he tries incredibly hard. He is a very skilful player."
"There is a reason why he's got the wickets he has, because one, his work ethic and two, his skill level. I enjoy playing against him. He always has a big smile on his face, and he will give everything for his team. I guess you could not want anything more of that as a fan watching, and a great example to any young player starting out," he concluded.
Former Indian seamer Varun Aaron believes Siraj was unlucky, bowling very well but not getting LBW calls.
Siraj and Prasidh Krishna bowled a fiery spell post Tea on Day 4. Siraj went wicketless in the final session but bowled a tight length, while Prasidh cleaned up Jacob Bethell before packing off Joe Root for 105 in his following over.
"Siraj and Prasidh bowled five high-intensity overs each after tea, and that effort resulted in two crucial wickets. Siraj was quite unlucky, as he has been throughout the day -- he bowled unbelievably well. So many of his deliveries hit the pad, but he just didn't get the LBW calls," JioHotstar expert Varun Aaron said.
"England now find themselves in a tough spot, and I genuinely feel this break is going to do India a world of good. The bowlers get to rest, stretch, have a massage, and get some treatment from the physios. They can come back fresh and give it everything again. This post-tea session has been brilliant -- accurate bowling, smart captaincy by Shubman Gill, who didn't allow easy singles, and two very important wickets," he added.
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