“I Only Wish That Ashwin’s Mother Gets Well Soon” – Mohammed Siraj

India’s fast bowler, Mohammed Siraj, has shared his thoughts on Ravichandran Ashwin’s absence from the Rajkot Test against England because of a family emergency. He expressed his hopes for Ashwin’s mother’s speedy recovery and mentioned that team captain Rohit Sharma informed the bowlers before Day 3 that they would need to bowl for extended periods.

Mohammed Siraj On R Ashwin’s Absence

"I Only Wish That Ashwin's Mother Gets Well Soon" - Mohammed Siraj

For those unaware, Ashwin achieved his 500th Test wicket by dismissing England’s Zak Crawley on Day 2 of the third Test in Rajkot on Friday, February 16. However, later that night, the BCCI announced in a press release that the 37-year-old cricketer had to leave the Test due to a family emergency.

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In the absence of Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj took on the responsibility and performed admirably, taking 4 wickets for 84 runs as India successfully bowled out England for 319 in their first innings.

Following the conclusion of the third day’s play, Siraj addressed the media in a press conference. He shared his perspective on Ashwin’s absence and discussed how the team coped with the situation. Siraj’s contribution played a crucial role in India’s performance in the match, highlighting the team’s depth and ability to adapt to unforeseen circumstances. PTI quoted Siraj, saying:

“In the morning when we got to know that Ash bhai is not there, more responsibility fell on us. Rohit bhai told us that we would have to bowl long spells, and I love bowling long spells. For a fast bowler in Test cricket, one cannot set up a batsman in three-four overs. We got success due to long spells.”

He added: “Ash bhai was our fifth bowler and I only wish that his mother gets well soon. If you bowl long spells you should not try much but be consistent with it (line and lengths). They (England batters) are not used to defending all six balls in an over, if they have defended on two, they are going to attack the third,” 

Siraj took four wickets, with spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja adding two each as England tumbled from 224/2 to 319 all out.

Expressing his views on the Rajkot pitch, the right-arm pacer suggested that Indian bowlers should focus on targeting the stumps in the fourth innings. He emphasized that bowling wide could be detrimental to their performance. He said:

“I reckon the ball will keep a little low on the fourth day but cannot say anything accurately for this wicket. Whatever I have assessed of this wicket, the more you are able to bowl at the stumps, you are more likely to get success. If you bowl wide, you may leak runs,” 

He added: “Spinners will obviously be effective in the fourth innings because the ball is turning. Not all six deliveries (in an over) are turning but one odd one is. You can get wickets if you bowl with patience at one spot,”

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