"Kept coming again and again," Ashwin praised Md Siraj for his tireless efforts at Kotla against WI

India’s fast bowler Mohammed Siraj received high praise from former spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for his relentless work in the second Test against West Indies at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. India sealed a 7-wicket victory on October 14, completing a 2-0 series sweep in the two-match contest. Despite the pitch offering minimal assistance to pacers, Siraj delivered 24 overs and captured three crucial wickets.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ash praised Siraj over the prime pacer Jasprit Bumrah. As per Ash, Bumrah did get wickets, Siraj's effort should get the applause. Ashwin said,

“I would like to compliment Mohammed Siraj. On this (Kotla) wicket, there wasn’t much help, it kept getting slower but Siraj bent his back and kept coming again and again. Bumrah did get wickets in the end, but it’s Siraj’s effort that needs to be applauded. The way he was bowling in England and even in these conditions, that didn’t change. He put efforts in these conditions as well.

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Consistency pays dividends for India

Siraj’s performance was characterized by discipline and stamina, reflecting his adaptability on unresponsive surfaces. Ashwin further emphasized the challenges faced by fast bowlers in longer formats, particularly on pitches offering limited pace and bounce. Ashwin added,

“Sometimes first-class cricket can be tough for fast bowlers. You bowl on day four and fast bowlers never recover after a three-day break. With that in mind, Siraj was able to bend his back and giving efforts on such a wicket, knowing he’s not getting any help, still kept going, used innovative fields, so I just wanted to give credit him on that.”

At Kotla, Siraj got the crucial wicket of Shai Hope who was the other centurion for the West Indies apart from John Campbell. He also took the wicket of Tagenarine Chanderpaul. Unlike Siraj, Bumrah's three wickets came from the lower order. In the first innings, both took a piece. 

Siraj finished the series with 10 wickets, the second-highest behind left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav. The pacer is now set to return for India’s ODI series against Australia, which will follow a three-match bilateral ODI series and five T20Is.