Boxing Day Test | Mohammed Siraj joins Lasith Malinga in distinctive record with 5 wickets on debut in Australia
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Image Source : GETTY Mohammed Siraj
Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj added a feather to his recently-handed Test cap as he grew to become the primary bowler in 16 years to take 5 wickets on Test debut on Australian soil. He achieved the feat on Tuesday through the Boxing Day sport on the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Siraj, who was handed Test cap no. 298 by veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin after Mohammed Shami was dominated out of your complete Border-Gavaskar sequence with an arm damage, picked the wickets of Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green within the first innings ending with figures of two for 40.
In the second innings, he dismissed Travis Head for 17 on Monday earlier than returning on day 4 to get the wickets of Green and Nathan Lyon. With 5 wickets on the MCG, Siraj grew to become the primary bowler since 2004 to realize the tally on debut in Australia. Overall, he’s the fourth visiting bowler within the final 50 years to realize the feat – Phil DeFreitas (5-94 within the match, 1986-87), Alex Tudor (5-108, 1998-99), and Lasith Malinga (6-92, 2004).
Siraj misplaced his father Mohammed Ghaus in November whereas he was in Australia and could not return residence owing to COVID-19 restrictions. But his brother Ismail feels that Siraj fulfilled his father’s dream when he was handed the Test cap on the MCG.
“It was my (late) father’s dream that Siraj should represent India in Tests … he always wanted to see him (Siraj) in blue and white jersey to represent the nation, so our dream got fulfilled today,” Ismail had advised PTI from Hyderabad.
Talking in regards to the sport, Australia, regardless of the nerviness towards the Indian assault, have proven endurance and warning in taking their second innings rating to 200 and therefore set a goal of 70 runs for India.
