Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj garnered headlines during the IND vs AUS 2nd Test due to his aggressive verbal spat with Australian batter Travis Head. Siraj who dismissed Head for 140 runs, gave an angry send-off and later both players exchanged words when the left-handed Australian batter was going back to the dressing room. Both the players were faced consequences of the incident as they were penalised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for their act. Many former cricketers critisised Siraj for his behaviour during the match whereas many stood by him.
Ravi Shastri Shares Views On Mohammed Siraj Showing Aggression Towards Travis Head
Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri was one of them who supported Mohammed Siraj. In a conversation with CODE Sports, Shastri stated that he wouldn’t have expected anything else from a fast bowler he would have been hit for a six. Shastri added this kind of attitude is the temperament of the fast bowler. He said, “I wouldn’t have expected anything else from a fast bowler after he’d been hit for a six. Siraj was letting off some steam. That’s the fast bowler’s temperament. You want it to be like that.”
He added, “When I was playing, my philosophy was to give it back as good as you get. And it’s exactly what I would tell my players when I was coaching India in Australia. Do not hold back one bit.”
After the incident, both the players sorted things out on the field and shared a hug. At one end, Travis Head claimed that he said ‘well bowled’ to Mohammed Siraj during press conference and he was misunderstood by him. On the other hand, Siraj stated that Head said some abusive words to him. Both the teams will take on each other in the third Test from December 14.