“What stands out with him is attitude” - AB de Villiers hails Mohammed Siraj over Asia Cup heroics
Former South African batter AB de Villiers has lavished praise on Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj for his fantastic bowling effort in the Asia Cup 2023 final against Sri Lanka at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. De Villiers stated that his attitude and never-say-die spirit is what stands out.
Siraj registered career-best ODI figures of 6/21 in seven overs in the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka. He claimed four wickets in one over to stun the Lankans, who were bowled out for 50 in 15.2 overs. India raced past the total in 6.1 overs with all 10 wickets in hand.
Speaking on the 360 show, De Villiers shared his thoughts on Siraj and hailed him for the manner in which he goes about playing the game.
“What stands out with him is attitude. We have spoken before on how attitude can really uplift you. If you never give up and if you keep trying and you make your attitude catchy with your teammates, the people want you there, the fans want you there. That’s where you start doing some brilliant and special things on the park,” De Villiers commented.
Describing Siraj as one of those players who always just keeps coming back, the former South African captain went on to praise the bowler further and added:
“He’s always in your face. The bowlers that I respected most are the guys that never gave up, that would always complete every single ball, be in your face. That’s what Mohammed Siraj does well. He’s not scared of trying his short ball. He’s there in the batter’s face and is always trying to get you out. The batters can feel that and Sri Lanka certainly felt that in the final.
“What a fantastic turnaround from that start for Mohammed Siraj. Simply incredible by Siraj. Some soft wickets there - the pressure of a final. But the thing that stands out is he keeps trying. His attitude is spot on. The perfect fast bowler, if I can say that,” De Villiers concluded.
Siraj had a disappointing start to his ODI career. He was hammered for 76 runs in 10 overs against Australia in Adelaide in January 2019 and failed to claim a wicket.
Siraj rises to No. 1 ranking among bowlers in ODIs
Following his heroics in the Asia Cup 2023 final against Sri Lanka, Siraj rose to the No. 1 ranking among bowlers in one-day cricket. In the latest ICC rankings, the 29-year-old right-arm pacer has 694 points.
Siraj is followed by Josh Hazlewood (678), Trent Boult (677), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (657) and Rashid Khan (655).
Overall, the Indian fast bowler has featured in 29 ODIs, claiming 53 wickets at an average of 19.11 and an economy rate of 4.76.