As Australia's Marnus Labuschagne attempted to mimic the resilient batting of Indian stalwart Cheteshwar Pujara in the Perth Test, he struggled on a bouncy pitch and was met with some on-field drama. Despite Labuschagne's attempts to imitate Pujara's marathon innings, his low strike rate and cheeky antics were not enough to ward off fiery confrontations with Indian bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana.
Jasprit Bumrah led the charge for India as they fought back against Australia on the first day of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Bumrah's wife, Sanjana Ganesan, lauded his performance in a unique way on social media. After being bowled out for 150, Bumrah's impressive spell of 4/17 helped India leave Australia rattled. The debutant Nitish Reddy and Rishabh Pant's contributions helped India reach 150, with Hazlewood, Starc, Cummins, and Marsh sharing the wickets. Bumrah's second spell proved crucial as he claimed the wickets of Cummins and Labuschagne, while Siraj also contributed by taking the wicket of Mitchell Marsh.
Mohammed Siraj's impressive performance in the Australia vs India Test match not only helped the team gain a lead of 83 runs, but also catapulted his career to new heights. The right-arm medium-fast bowler from Hyderabad has established himself in the international arena with his debut in 2018 and subsequent participation in the Indian Premier League. As per the recent BCCI annual retainership, Siraj is now a Grade A cricketer earning a salary of Rs. 5 crore, in addition to his IPL salary of Rs. 7 crore. With the recent T20 World Cup victory in 2024, Siraj and other team members are also set to receive a cash prize of INR 125 crore.
Day 1 of the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test between India and Australia saw a disappointing batting performance from India, as they were only able to put up 150 runs on the board, thanks to Josh Hazlewood's four-wicket haul. However, the Indian bowlers showed some fight as Jasprit Bumrah and debutant Harshit Rana picked four and one wickets respectively, with Mohammed Siraj also chipping in with two. Australia, in response, ended the day strongly at stumps with a score of 41/0.
As India's fast bowlers prepare for the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy, they will have to step up in the absence of experienced pacer Mohammad Shami. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will lead the pack, while the toss-up will be among the relatively inexperienced Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, and Harshit Rana. Former selector Devan Gandhi believes that Rana should have been a part of the India A team to familiarize himself with the conditions. Meanwhile, former bowling coach Paras Mhambrey believes that backing Siraj is crucial for India's success in Australia. Mhambrey also praises Krishna's ability to generate bounce and has faith in him to perform against the Aussies.
Kohli's run out, along with a controversial decision to send in nightwatchman Mohammed Siraj, added to India's woes at the end of Day 1. Despite the setback, India bounced back on Day 2 thanks to a strong counter-attack by Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill. Their efforts, along with a quickfire cameo by Washington Sundar, helped India take a first innings lead for the first time in the series.
The second day of the third and final test between India and New Zealand saw a fiery start from Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill, who hammered the NZ bowlers relentlessly. However, NZ's Ish Sodhi turned the tide by dismissing Pant for 60, after which India suffered a horrific collapse, losing 3 wickets in 15 minutes. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Siraj, and Virat Kohli all fell victim to NZ's attack, leaving India at 195/5 at lunch.
Former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull criticized India's decision to send Mohammed Siraj as a nightwatchman after Yashasvi Jaiswal's dismissal in the third Test between India and New Zealand in Mumbai. Despite India's intentions being clear, the ploy backfired as Siraj was dismissed for a golden duck. Doull believes R Ashwin would have been a better option given his batting prowess against spin. However, he also understands the psychological reasoning behind the move.
The big news in the world of cricket is that Indian wicket-keepers Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul have been released by their respective teams ahead of the 2025 IPL auction. Along with them, a list of other big names such as Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, and Mohammed Siraj have also been released. Chennai Super Kings are reportedly interested in signing Pant, while Royal Challengers Bangalore might bring back local boy Rahul. It will be interesting to see which team lands these star players at the mega auction.
After much anticipation, all 10 franchises have announced their retained players for the upcoming IPL 2024. While the lists include many expected names, there are also some surprising releases and retentions. From experienced players like Mohammed Siraj and KL Rahul being released to uncapped players being retained over established names, the teams have shocked fans and analysts alike. Let's take a closer look at the top five surprises from the retention lists.