Mohammed Siraj is currently perhaps the most dangerous bowler with the new ball in ODIs in the powerplay 1 and has cemented his place in India’s ODI team on the back of taking wickets consistently with the new ball.
Since the start of 2022, Siraj has taken 39 wickets in ODIs and 26 of them have come in the first 10 overs, that is the first powerplay. Apart from his potent outswingers, Siraj has developed a deadly three-quarter ball and is working on his inswingers as well, growing his arsenal, and is now really difficult to be dropped even if India have all their pacers fit.
Siraj‘s good form with the new ball showed once again in the first ODI against Australia, on Friday, at the Wankhede.
India won the toss and elected to bowl first. Siraj and Mohammed Shami had a crack at the Aussie top-order that was without the injured David Warner, and Mitchell Marsh opened with Travis Head.
Bowling his first over to Head, Mohammed Siraj was at his fiery best, bowling with a menacing pace and generating movement with his outswingers. But Head played fire and fire and drove the seamer for a four through the covers.
That perhaps fired up Siraj even more, because on the next ball, all Head heard, after stepping out of his crease and looking to play through the covers again, was the sound of the ball taking his inside edge and then rattling into the stumps. The uprooted leg stump went for a long ride as Mohammed Siraj jumped in the air in the famous Cristiano Ronaldo’s SIUUU celebration.
Watch: Mohammed Siraj bowls Travis Head with a terrific delivery
WICKET!
Travis Head hears the death rattle, as @mdsirajofficial gets yet another Powerplay wicket! 😍#TeamIndia draw first blood. 💪Tune-in to the 1st Mastercard #INDvAUS ODI, LIVE on the Star Sports Network & Disney+Hotstar!#BelieveInBlue #Cricket pic.twitter.com/AJNqba3NkH
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 17, 2023
Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya is leading India today in the first ODI in the absence of Rohit Sharma, who is unavailable due to personal reasons. India played Shardul Thakur today ahead of Umran Malik while Kuldeep Yadav got the nod over Yuzvendra Chahal.
Teams:
Australia (Playing XI): Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith(c), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis(w), Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
India (Playing XI): Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya(c), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami
