File image by Mohammed Siraj.© X (Twitter)
Amid widespread criticism about his temperament, Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj has received support from his former coach Ravi Shastri. Siraj got into an altercation with Australian batsman Travis Head during the second Test in Adelaide. Siraj has been coached by Shastri, who said he now wants his fast bowlers to have that fire in them. Shastri, who along with then captain Virat Kohli created an aggressive approach for Team India, suggested that the philosophy should be to ‘give back as much as you get’.
In the second Test, Travis Head hammered Siraj and the rest of the Indian bowlers en route to a game-changing 140 runs. When Siraj finally got Head out, an argument broke out between the two and Siraj sent a send. turn off.
The ICC fined the pacers 20% of their match fees and both players received demerit points.
However, Shastri provided support to Siraj.
“I wouldn’t have expected anything different from a fast bowler after hitting a six. Siraj was showing some strength. That’s the temperament of a fast bowler. You want it to be like that. When I play, I give back as much as I get. That is the philosophy I want to tell my players when I coach India in Australia,” Shastri wrote in his CODE Sports column.
“Never take a step back. This has become the team’s philosophy and everyone in the team, from Virat Kohli to Rishabh Pant, was ready to give it back to Australia,” Shastri added.
Shastri also expressed confidence that Siraj and Head were “mature individuals” who would not allow the moment to escalate into a bigger controversy.
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