As the 3rd Test between India and England stands evenly poised at lunch, with the hosts reading 83/2, Ravi Shastri thought, well, 'let's have some fun’, play resumed in the second session. Test matches usually bring a lot of poise and patience. Hence, it’s not always that the commentators must discuss what’s transpiring on the ground. Often, they tend to drift away a little – and rightfully so – to hold their and the public’s interest levels. And that's exactly what Shastri did when he playfully called one of India’s pacers a ‘joker’.
The conversation began when Mohammed Siraj charged towards Ollie Pope when the England batter played a ball onto his pads. As the ball got stuck between his right pad and leg, Siraj, sensing the opportunity of a wicket, ran towards the batter but Pope, alert to the occasion, picked the ball and kept it on the ground. "He is quite the character, Mohammed Siraj. Ran straight at the batter".
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That’s when Michael Atherton, Shastri’s fellow commentator, asked what Siraj is like in the dressing room. Is he a chatterbox? A practical joker? Or someone who sits quietly? Pat came the reply, “Oh, he’s a joker”. Shastri carried on. “And he is not poking fun. Someone else keeps poking fun at him. Or riling him up. And he falls for it.”
Every team needs a character in the dressing room, who lighten up the mood. Test match days can be intense. Often players sit quietly and calmly in their own thoughts but even they need someone who can lift the mood. As Atherton pointed out, they had Darren Gough performing that role and he senses that Siraj too is one of those characters.
‘There was quite a chuckle in the dressing room’
{{/usCountry}}Every team needs a character in the dressing room, who lighten up the mood. Test match days can be intense. Often players sit quietly and calmly in their own thoughts but even they need someone who can lift the mood. As Atherton pointed out, they had Darren Gough performing that role and he senses that Siraj too is one of those characters.
‘There was quite a chuckle in the dressing room’
{{/usCountry}}Shastri added: “He and [Rishabh] Pant are like that. Especially when he was elevated to the Deputy Superintendent of Police. There was a chuckle around that dressing room. Siraj had to say “Ok, wait till you come to Hyderabad, I will sort you out”.
Then again, Shastri complemented Siraj for how exceptionally well he has bowled in the ongoing Test series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. After picking up just two wickets in the opener at Leeds, Siraj upped his game in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah at Edgbaston, claiming a six-wicket haul. Siraj's 6/70 played a key role in handing India a big lead, a performance which Shastri deservingly hyped up.
“Bowled beautifully in Edgbaston. Six wicket haul there, and even today, he is striving hard,” remarked the former India coach.