'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former India batter VVS Laxman reckons fast bowler Mohammed Siraj is either carrying a niggle, or is very tired. He made the observation after the pacer had bowled only five overs till the end of the first session’s play on Day 2 at The Oval.
Luckily for India, Siraj struck early in the second session, trapping Jonny Bairstow lbw for 37. Bairstow and Ollie Pope featured in an 89-run stand for the sixth wicket to put England on top.
In a discussion on ESPN Cricinfo, Laxman opined that Siraj looked exhausted while Shardul Thakur was ineffective. That allowed England to fight back after Umesh Yadav’s early strikes in the first session of play. Laxman said:
“Shardul Thakur doesn't look penetrative and, somewhere down the line, I feel (Mohammed) Siraj is carrying a niggle. Not very often you see him bowling below 130. Either that, or he is tired. That’s why the bulk of the bowling is being done by Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav. Kohli will have to find a way to utilise Siraj.
Trending
"It was evident even in the way he bowled at Headingley. He was charging in at Nottingham and Lord’s. When he bowled on the last day at Lord’s, when he got those four wickets, he had a lot of energy and intensity. It was missing when he bowled the third or fourth spell at Headingley. Right from the first ball he bowled yesterday, it looked like he was carrying a niggle,” Laxman added.
According to Laxman, Siraj bowled his heart out in the first three Tests. As a result, he seems exhausted. The former cricketer said:
“It can happen. Someone who is bowling with that kind of intensity, you can feel exhausted at the end of three Test matches. In all those matches, he has bowled his heart out. Virat Kohli needs to find a way to utilise Siraj better and rotate the bowlers around.”
Credit to Umesh Yadav, must have really worked hard in the nets: VVS Laxman
Before the Bairstow-Pope partnership, Umesh Yadav got India’s day off to a great start, sending back nightwatchman Craig Overton (1) and Dawid Malan (31). Praising Yadav for making an impressive return to Test cricket, Laxman said:
“He probably bowled the ball of the series to get rid of Joe Root. The way he used his wrist and fingers to get the ball to go away from the left-handed Dawid Malan was great to see. Umesh Yadav has always been an aggressive bowler. If anything, he needed to work on his control. And, he has got better.
“Credit to him. He must have really worked hard in the nets. It is never easy for someone who hasn't played international cricket for a long time to straightaway hit the straps and bowl the way he has done,” Laxman added.
Replying to India’s 191, England were 172 for 6 at the end of 54 overs, with Ollie Pope having crossed his half-century.
Looking for fast live cricket scores? Download CricRocket and get fast score updates, top-notch commentary in-depth match stats & much more! 🚀☄️
