Ravi Shastri lauds Mohammed Siraj after stunning start to India career
Ravi Shastri has praised Mohammed Siraj for his performances in Australia, which helped India win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under. The Indian head coach took to Twitter on Friday to heap special praise on the pacer, who showed great character and resilience to overcome many hurdles over the course of the tour.
Mohammed Siraj's father Mohammed Ghaus passed away at the start of the tour, but the player decided to stay on in Australia to help the Indian team. He then made his Test debut during the second Test after Mohammad Shami was injured and helped Team India earn an impressive win during the Boxing Day Test.
The 26-year-old was then alleged to have received racial abuse from the crowd at the SCG during the third Test. However, he continued to persevere and was rewarded with a five-wicket haul in the second Australian innings during the fourth Test.
"Find of the tour for shoring up the bowling attack the way he did - Mohd Siraj," Ravi Shastri tweeted. "He fought through personal loss, racial remarks, and channelised them to find home in the team huddle."
Mohammed Siraj earned many admirers during the tour of Australia
Mohammed Siraj made his debut for India during the second Test of their series against Australia. He picked up a total of 13 wickets in the three matches he played and helped India retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy against all odds. Siraj earned plenty of admirers over the course of the series, both back home and Down Under.
Only Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood claimed more scalps than the India pacer in the series, who took his wickets at an average of 29.53. Mohammed Siraj looks set for a long career for India and could be a key player once again during the upcoming Test series against England.