‘People take a lifetime to do all this, you did it in days’, Kaif congratulates Siraj on his maiden Test five-fer
Indian fast-bowler Mohammed Siraj dismantled the Australian batting line-up on the fourth day of the ongoing Brisbane Test. He claimed the maiden five-wicket haul of his Test career, helping India to restrict the hosts to 294 runs in the second innings.
Siraj led the Indian pace attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and did a commendable job. His bowling partners Shardul Thakur and Navdeep Saini are only featuring in their 2nd Test match, whereas T Natarajan is making his debut in the longest format.
Impressed with his bowling performance, former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif congratulated the pacer for achieving this milestone in a few days after making his Test debut.
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Kaif took to Twitter on Monday and wrote that Hyderabad cricketer has fulfilled the debut of his father, who left for his heavenly abode before the start of the series.
“You fulfilled your Abba's dream, stood up for your team, guided a young pacer. People take a lifetime to do all this, you did it in days. Mohammed Siraj keep smiling, never lose your innocence. Brother congrats for the fifer,” Kaif tweeted.
After the end of day's play, Siraj revealed that it has been very tough for him, but a phone call from his mother gave the pacer much-needed confidence to go out and express himself.
"I am thankful that I was able to pick five wickets as it was a very tough situation for me after my dad passed away. But after talking to my mom at home, I gained some confidence. The call with my mom made me mentally strong. My focus was to fulfill my dad's wish," said Siraj during the post-match virtual presser.
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In the final session, with rain playing spoilsport, the Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill could face just 1.5 overs before the umpires decided to call for early stumps. India need 324 runs on the final day with 10 wickets in hand.
(With agency inputs)