• Thursday, March 28, 2024

Sport

Former England quick calls Siraj India’s ‘Duracell battery’

Mohammed Siraj in action (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

By: Shubham Ghosh

FORMER England pacer Steve Harmison feels Indian seamer Mohammed Siraj is like a “Duracell battery” of his side’s bowling attack, someone who steams in and bowls with 100 per cent accuracy every time captain Virat Kohli brings him into attack.

Siraj came up with an impressive performance in the second Test against England at Lord’s in which he claimed eight scalps for 126 runs, his best show in the long format so far. India made an terrific comeback on the final day of the Test match to beat the home team by 151 runs and take 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

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“He’s a Duracell battery Mohammed Siraj. What he has done at the end there, I mentioned from the first ball to the last ball, he’s at it,” Harmison, 42, told ESPNCricinfo.
“Whatever the fitness trainer is doing to him, keep doing it. I’d like to see him do it till Manchester, towards the end of the series. He pitches it up, swings it away,” Harmison added.

Former England quick calls Siraj India's 'Duracell battery'
Former England fast bowler Steve Harmison does commentary for a game of cricket in South Africa in 2019. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

The tall former quick bowler, who now does cricket commentary, also praised the 27-year-old Indian’s never-say-die attitude on the cricket field which helps him win battles over batsmen.

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“I also think he’s got a bit of heart about himself that helps him to always go at the batsman. He almost tells the batsman ‘I’m gonna make this a contest, you coming in with me?’ If the batsman is not up to the contest then he wins it. He’s been the difference for India in these two Test matches. The way he’s run in, has been fantastic,” Harmison, who made his debut in Tests against India at home in 2002 and ended up with 226 wickets in the red-ball format, said.

The former cricketer was also impressed with Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian pacer who had rough times with the bat in the middle at Lord’s but came out with flying colours, even with the bat.

“Bumrah if you haven’t faced him a lot and he has that unusual action and release that helps him get a lot of natural variation from the pitch. He hits the pitch so hard that he can get a lot out of it. You feel that the ball might go over the top of the stump but you are still tempted to play at it because of his ability to slide the ball. Then suddenly he bowls a bouncer and it’s difficult for you to get away from it. He’s a difficult bowler to face,” Harmison added.

He said the Indian bowling attack is very potent as a unit.

The two teams next meet at Headingley for the third Test starting August 25.

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