"Please give me this stump, I will give you a new one" - Mohammed Siraj recalls umpire's reaction to his celebration at Lord's 

Team India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj recently revealed that the umpires ran towards him after he uprooted a stump to celebrate India's famous 151-run Test victory over England at Lord's in 2021.

Siraj mentioned that the match official requested that he hand over the stump as it had a microphone attached to it. The pacer, however, added that the umpire replaced it with another stump.

During an appearance on the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) podcast, Mohammed Siraj stated:

"When I picked the stump, it had a mic on it. Umpires had to come and tell me to leave that one, they would give me another. He came running and said, 'Please give me this stump, I will give you a new one."

It is worth mentioning that Mohammed Siraj was one of India's top performers with the ball in the Test, picking up eight wickets.

He highlighted that he wanted to see his name on the honors board at Lord's, but was denied a five-wicket haul after a few umpire's calls went against him in the match, adding:

"Even I wanted to be on the Lord's honours board. When I was at four wickets, there were quite a few umpire's calls that went against me. If even one of them would have gone my way, would have gotten my name on the honours board. But that gives me the motivation to go there again and take a fifer."

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"First 5-6 overs I was just enjoying the feel" - Mohammed Siraj on playing at Lord's

Mohammed Siraj further stated that playing at Lord's was a very special moment for him and that he had seen the iconic venue on several occasions on television when he was young.

The Hyderabad-born seamer pointed out that he was just enjoying the feel of the stadium when he bowled his first few overs of the match. Speaking about the experience during his first-ever Test at the home of cricket, Siraj said:

"Earlier it was just on TV when we saw Lord's as the home of cricket. When I arrived there, it felt different to be playing there. In the first 5-6 overs, I was just enjoying the feel of Lord's.

"Since there is a slope from one end there, my mindset was to keep bowling in the right areas accordingly, expecting a wicket from there. I was just keeping things simple, targeting maiden overs back-to-back by bowling at a particular length, which was executed well."

The 29-year-old added that the spectators at Lord's cherish red-ball cricket, unlike India, where it is mostly about hitting boundaries. Elaborating further on his experience, he said:

"Test matches are valued greatly there. Some bring their own scoresheets and keep tabs on the runs scored. I saw the value of Test matches there, unlike India, where you are expected to hit sixes on every ball."

Mohammed Siraj bagged praise from all quarters for his inspired spells during the Test series against England. The talented bowler picked up 18 wickets from nine innings, the second-highest by an Indian in the series.