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Siraj criticised for 'emotional' conduct at Lord's, Shubman Gill questioned for his aggression: ‘They didn’t choose…’
Kaif pointed out that Siraj often lets emotions get the better of him and believed that agreeing to the change ended up hurting India’s momentum.
Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif criticised Mohammed Siraj for being emotional in asking for a ball change during the Lord’s Test, especially after Jasprit Bumrah had picked up three quick wickets. Kaif felt that the move disrupted India’s rhythm and allowed Brydon Carse and Jamie Smith to settle in and build a strong partnership. The two Englishmen shared an 84-run stand for the eighth wicket, with both batters scoring half-centuries. The wicketkeeper batter (51) adopted the Bazball approach and smashed six fours during his 56-ball knock, while Carse scored 56, which was laced with six fours and a six.
Kaif shared his thoughts on a crucial moment in the Lord’s Test, expressing doubt over the decision to change the ball at Siraj’s insistence. He pointed out that Siraj often lets emotions get the better of him and believed that agreeing to the change ended up hurting India’s momentum.
“Siraj is always emotional, so I think approving his call and changing the ball [was a mistake]. When the ball got changed, it didn’t move," Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
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‘Need to show aggression at the right time’
The former cricketer also criticised the over-the-top celebrations of skipper Gill and other Indian players following Crawley’s dismissal, calling them unnecessary. He felt that such aggression from the Indian players only served to fire up the English side and give them added motivation.
“If Crawley hadn’t got out on Day 3, he could’ve got dismissed on the next day. Was he in good form? It was a loss for us. Gill lost his cool, Siraj joined him and then Reddy celebrated after getting him out. You can show aggression but you need to do that at the right time. They didn’t choose the right time," he added.
Kaif claimed that Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer deliberately targeted Jasprit Bumrah with a barrage of bouncers during the Lord’s Test, aiming not just to dismiss him but to injure him.
"Stokes and Archer planned to bowl bouncers against Bumrah. If he doesn’t get out, hit him on the finger or shoulder to injure him. This stays in the mind of bowlers to injure the main bowler, whom our batters find tough to bat against. This was the plan, which worked later (to get him out)," he concluded.
