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Cricket Players'Siraj is always in your face. You respect bowlers who...': AB de Villiers' key observation on his ex-RCB teammate
AB de Villers spoke in detail about the Team India star, who produced a man of the match performance in the Asia Cup final last week.
Team India secured a resounding victory in the 2023 Asia Cup final last Sunday, registering a convincing 10-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Colombo. India's bowlers, led by Mohammed Siraj with an impressive six-wicket haul, limited Sri Lanka to a meager 50 runs after they chose to bat in overcast conditions. Siraj took a five-wicket haul inside just 2.4 overs, equalling Sri Lanka legend Chaminda Vaas for the fastest five-wicket haul. He eventually ended with figures of 6/21, as India lifted a record-extending eighth title.
The performance from Siraj also saw him jumping to top spot in the ICC ODI rankings, the position he last held in March earlier this year. After his exceptional performance in the final, Siraj received accolades from numerous former cricketers, including AB de Villiers, who was his former teammate at Royal Challengers Bangalore. The former South African captain insisted that what makes Siraj stand apart is his attitude towards the game.
“He's still young even though we've been seeing him for ages. We are very familiar with that face and that bowling action. What stands out for him is his attitude, we've spoke about this before on this series. Attitude can really uplift you. If you never give up, if you make your attitude catch up with your teammates, the fans want you. That's where you start doing special things on the park,” de Villiers said on his official YouTube channel.
“Siraj always keeps coming back, he's always in your face. The bowlers who are respected most are those who never give up. They are always in your face, that's what Siraj does. He's not afraid of trying the short ball, he's there in the batter's face, he's always trying to get you out. And Sri Lanka certainly felt that in the final.”
Siraj is among the first names on the team sheet and is the part of India's 15-member squad for the ODI World Cup, which takes place in October-November at home later this year.
India face Australia
In a precursor to their 2023 World Cup opener, Team India is set to clash with Australia in a three-match series commencing on October 22. This marks the second ODI series encounter between the two teams this year, with Australia, captained by Steve Smith, prevailing 2-1 back in March.
