"Ducket is the one who's made the contact" - Indian legend's stunning statement on Mohammed Siraj fine in ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar defended pacer Mohammed Siraj for his altercation with England opener Ben Duckett on Day 4 of the recently concluded Lord's Test. The Indian seamer celebrated wildly after dismissing Duckett on the fourth morning and bumped shoulders with the England opener.

It resulted in Siraj being fined 15 percent of his match fees by the ICC for the physical exchange. The celebrations and the consequences have garnered mixed reactions from several former players and fans.

Weighing in on the same after the thrilling Lord's Test ended late on Day 5, Gavaskar told India Today:

"I think it was just over the top, as far as the matchup fee is concerned. If you see the contact that happened, it was Ben Duckett who's came there. Siraj is not in this. Siraj's shoulder is a bit this way. Duckett is the one who's made the contact. Well, I mean, there you are. I think the match referee has taken the call. Hopefully Siraj will celebrate subtly, maybe, because at the end of the day, all you want is to keep on getting wickets. It doesn't matter what else happens."

He added:

"I actually didn't see anything wrong with that celebration because he wasn't giving the batter a send-off. Actually, when you give a send off, that is where I think you need to be fined. But if you're in the face saying, got you, I don't think that is any reason for the player to be summoned before the match referee."

Mohammed Siraj played a massive role in India restricting England to 192 in their second innings with the early wickets of Duckett and Ollie Pope. However, the Indian batters performed poorly in the run chase of 193, losing by 22 runs.

"You do not want 22 robots" - Nasser Hussain on Mohammed Siraj's fine in Lord's Test

Former England captain Nasser Hussain believes Mohammed Siraj did not deserve to be fined for this celebration after dismissing Ben Duckett in the Lord's Test. The Indian seamer was in the middle of the action late on Day 5 as the visitors attempted to pull off an unlikely win.

However, Siraj was dismissed in an unlucky manner after negotiating 30 deliveries as the final Indian wicket to fall.

Talking about the pacer's fine, Hussain said on Sky Sports (via the source mentioned above):

"[That punishment] is just not for me. These are not robots, these are people giving it absolutely everything, ball after ball on a hot week. You're playing for a country passionate about cricket, you're passionate. Sometimes as a fiery individual you will go slightly over the mark. You do not want 22 robots, you want a bit of fight, so a quiet word from the match referee would have been enough for me."

Mohammed Siraj is the leading wicket-taker in the series after three Tests, with 13 scalps at an average of 32.