ENG vs IND | Mohammed Siraj has 'strings in his strides': Sachin Tendulkar
Mohammed Siraj returned with eight wickets in the game as India defeated England at Lord's to take a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series earlier this week. Siraj has produced remarkable performances in his short time in the Indian Test team, which steered the side to some famous Test victories.
The pacer made his debut in the tour of Australia last year and returned as India's highest-wicket taker in the series, playing a key role in the historic 2-1 series win which included the famous triumph at the Gabba.
In the Lord's Test, Siraj took four wickets in the second innings as India bundled the hosts on 120, securing a 151-run win. In 7 Tests so far, Siraj has taken 27 wickets with two 4-wicket hauls and a five-wicket haul.
The pacer drew praise from former Indian cricketer and batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, who called Siraj a "quick learner."
"Siraj is a quick learner and adapts well to situations. He has come across as a fast learner. Fast bowlers have a period where they develop very quickly. You look at them and you know they are different bowler now," Tendulkar said in a conversation with PTI.
"They have that window where they develop and that window is at the moment with Siraj. He has developed very quickly. When I saw him in MCG last year to now, what strikes is the fact that Siraj has learnt how to construct an over, how to bowl a spell. That ability to think is critical. He has spring in his strides and give his hundred percent every time."
Tendulkar also talked about Jasprit Bumrah, who has made an impressive start to the series against England. The Indian pacer was wicketless in the final of the World Test Championship and Tendulkar said that Bumrah didn't have "enough long spells under his belt" at the time.
"I felt before the WTC final, Bumrah didn't have enough long spells under his belt. He is the kind of bowler who is like the more he bowls, the better he gets," said Tendulkar.
The batting legend also lauded Bumrah's slower-ball tactic to remove Ollie Robinson in the second innings of the Lord's Test.
"He doesn't only have a big heart but also has brains and we saw that yesterday when he outsmarted Ollie Robinson with a brilliant slower ball to dismiss him after peppering him with a few short balls," Tendulkar noted.
