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According to Ryan ten Doeschate, Siraj doesn’t always have the returns that one expects from a fast bowler, but in terms of heart, he’s like a lion.
Ryan ten Doeschate calls Mohammed Siraj as lion of Team India. (Picture Credit: Sportzpics)
Indian men’s cricket team Ryan ten Doeschate has reserved big praise for 31-year-old fast bowler Mohammed Siraj, who is leading the bowling charts in the ongoing five-match Test series between India and England. In six innings of three Tests played so far, Siraj has picked up a total of 13 wickets. He is followed by Jasprit Bumrah, who has 12 wickets to his credit in two matches.
Doeschate, who joined Gambhir’s coaching staff last year, has closely worked with Siraj in the last 12 months, and according to him, Siraj is like a lion.
The assistant coach of the Indian men’s team feels that when Siraj has the ball in his hand, one always feels like something is going to happen.
“We take for granted how lucky we are to have someone like that. I know he doesn’t always have the returns that you expect from a fast bowler, but in terms of heart, he’s like a lion, and what he brings to this bowling attack, whenever he does have the ball in hand, you always feel like something’s going to happen,” Doeschate said on Thursday.
“He’s not someone who’s going to shy away from workload, so it makes it even more important for us to manage his workload and make sure that he’s at least fit to give his best,” he added.
Siraj played all five Tests for India in the 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and has bowled more than 120 overs in the first three matches of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
During his interaction with reporters in Manchester after India’s first training session, when asked about India’s bowling attack for the fourth Test, Doeschate said that the team management will take a call in the coming days.
“We’ll make that call in Manchester. We know we’ve got him (Bumrah) for one of the last two tests. I think it’s pretty obvious the series is on the line now in Manchester, so there will be a leaning towards playing him,” said Doeschate.
“But again, we’ve got to look at all the factors. How many days of cricket are we going to get up there? What do we feel is our best chance of winning that game? And then how that fits in together with the Oval and looking at the last two games holistically as part of the series.”
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