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It seems that Mohammed Siraj’s problems will not end soon. The Indian fast bowler was involved in an altercation with Australia’s Travis Head during the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy played in Adelaide recently.
During the match, he also angrily threw the ball at the Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne after backing out at the last minute due to some movement behind the display case. Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif he was clearly not happy with this behavior and made serious accusations against Siraj.
Kaif felt that Siraj tarnished the image of the gentleman’s game which sets a wrong example for upcoming cricketers. He also felt that Travis Head’s dismissal was unnecessary as the batsman had already done the damage by that point.
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Mohammad Kaif criticizes Mohammed Siraj at his send-off for Travis Head
Speaking in a video on his social media account, Mohammad Kaif spoke about Mohammed Siraj’s feud with Travis Head. The former India batsman claimed Siraj had a chance to remove Head earlier but dropped a tough catch at mid-on.
“Mohammed Siraj had a chance (to head Travis back). Travis Head with a top edge. Siraj was standing in the middle. He ran back, tried with both hands but missed the catch,” Kaif said.
“(Ravichandran) Ashwin applauds for a brave effort but I believe you make history by taking such tough catches. The game changes if you take that catch and Head is out. Siraj had that chance to change the game as an outfielder but it didn’t happen” , he added.
Mohammad Kaif further mentioned that there was no need for Siraj to send Head off like that as the latter had already smashed a magnificent century to put Australia in command. He claimed that Siraj should have dismissed him earlier if he wanted to celebrate like that.
“When Travis Head smashed 140, hit you to every nook and cranny of the pitch, hit you for a six, You put deep coverage, long, deep coverage, and yet he found the gap. He changed the gap by playing all shots around the park. And that did on a tough pitch where it wasn’t easy to score, Siraj knocked him down,” Kaif said.
“I understand the celebration, but I didn’t like the send-off. If you know he’s got a weakness, take him out early. Make him drop to the slips or throw him out and then celebrate, but the guy scored 140… there was no need for that exclusion,” he added.
Rohit form? Virat and Outside off deliveries? Bumrah Workload? Cheesy behavior?
Australia vs India, BGT Report#KriketSKaifom11 #bgt2024 pic.twitter.com/aHFSUkTrUP
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) December 9, 2024
Mohammad Kaif accuses Mohammed Siraj of misconduct
Mohammad Kaif did not stop there and even spoke about the incident when Siraj threw the ball to Marnus Labuschagne during the Adelaide Test. Kaif accused Siraj of misconduct and setting a wrong example as a role model.
“(Marnus) Labuschagne was batting and there was some movement behind the field of vision. He moved away, but Siraj came and bowled the ball close to the off-stump. That was also not the right way. He behaved badly. The kids look up to you as a role model. You wouldn’t want to give wrong example, you wouldn’t want to tarnish the image of the gentleman’s game,” remarked Kaif.
Mohammed Siraj bowling figures in Adelaide
Mohammed Siraj he returned with figures of 4-98 in 24.3 overs in the first innings of the Adelaide Test after not looking his best for much of the match. Indian bowlers suffered as Australia posted 337 runs on a difficult batting surface.
Siraj has been going through a rough patch since the start of the domestic Test season in India. The fast bowlers are an important part of India’s Test lineup and even played a key role in the team’s historic win in Granica-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21.
