What stands out with Mohammed Siraj is his attitude: SA great Ab de Villiers all praise for No. 1 ODI bowler
SA great Ab de Villiers all praise for No. 1 ODI bowler Mohammed Siraj
After his magical 6 for 21 spell in Asia Cup 2023 final, Mohammed Siraj is on cloud nine. Siraj led India's charge with the ball after Rohit Sharma & Co. were asked to bowl first in Colombo on September 17. The 29-year-old wreaked havoc with the ball as Sri Lanka folded up for 50 in 15.2 overs as Team India closed the game with a 10-wicket win with 263 balls to spare. After his best spell in the format, Siraj climbed to the top spot in ICC ODI Rankings for bowlers on Wednesday (September 20). Now, he has won praise from AB de Villiers, his former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teammate and South Africa great AB de Villiers.
De Villiers, speaking on his 360 show, pointed out that Siraj never gives up and his four-wicket over broke the back of Sri Lanka's batting line-up in the final of the continental tournament.
'Bowlers I respect the most are guys whonever give up'
De Villiers said, "I think what stands out with him is his attitude, and we've spoken about this before on this series. Your attitude can really uplift you if you never give up. And if you keep trying and you make your attitude, catch you with your teammates, the people want you there. The fans want you there, and that's where you start doing some brilliant things and special things on the park. And Mohammad Siraj is one of those players. He always just keeps coming back. He's always in your face and I've mentioned this before. The bowlers that I respect the most are the guys that never gave up. That would always compete for every single ball, be in your face. And that's what Mohammad Siraj does."
The former South African captain added, "Well, he's not scared of trying his short ball. He's there in the batter's face. He's always trying to get you out. And the batter can feel that. And Sri Lanka certainly felt that in the final. Uh, what a fantastic turnaround. The thing that stands out, as I mentioned earlier, is he keeps trying. He's always in your face. His catches are in place and his attitude is spot on for the perfect fast bowler. If I can say that, he's always gonna keep trying. Congratulations, India. Congratulations, Siraj, with that final, the figures in the final, Simply incredible. And then we saw that, incredible over. Wicket, dot wicket, wicket, four runs and another wicket. And that was it. That literally, broke the back of the Sri Lankan batters. And that was the end of that."
After the Asia Cup, where Siraj ended as India's highest wicket-taker (10) and second overall, the speedster has shifted focus on the India-Australia home ODIs. The three-match series opener kicks off in Mohali on Friday evening (September 22). The pacer will be desperate to carry on with the momentum as this is India's last series before the CWC 2023 edition on home soil.
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