Team India pacer Mohammed Siraj (AP Image)
Ricky Ponting said he liked the ultimate competitor attitude of Mohammed Siraj as he never backs down from the challenge.
Legendary Australia captain Ricky Ponting heaped praise on Mohammed Siraj for his aggressive attitude on the field while bowling. The Indian bowlers struggled against Travis Head and Steve Smith in the first innings of the World Test Championship (WTC) final but it didn’t stop Siraj from some mid-pitch staring competitions. He was also the pick of the bowlers for India as he claimed a four-fer as Australia were all out for 469 in their first innings. The premier pacer picked only one wicket on Day 1 but he bounced back on Thursday to claim three scalps.
Ponting said he liked the ultimate competitor attitude of Siraj as he never backs down from the challenge and is always ready to test the batters with a barrage of short-pitched deliveries
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“I loved seeing that and he looks like the ultimate competitor,” Ponting told ICC.
However, Ponting said that the premier India pacer sometimes gets carried away but every team needs a player like him to add energy when things are not going in their favour.
“Maybe sometimes he gets carried away and goes a little bit over the top, but you need those guys in your side when things aren’t going well,” he added.
A persistent Siraj was the pick of bowlers for India with 4/108, also becoming the 42nd bowler from the country to scalp 50 wickets in Tests.
The legendary Aussie cricketer further pointed out Siraj didn’t drop his pace despite getting hit for boundaries and was always looking to attack the batters to find the breakthrough.
“He was the one today who said I am going to be the guy that is going to turn things around and what I loved was that his pace didn’t drop at all during the whole innings. From the first ball yesterday morning until late this afternoon, his pace was hovering around that 86 or 87-mile-an-hour mark and that says a lot about a great attitude,” he added.
