File image of Mohammed Siraj.©
Amid widespread criticism over his temperament, Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj has received support from his former coach Ravi Shastri. Siraj was involved in a verbal altercation with Australian batsman Travis Head during the second Test in Adelaide. Siraj came through under the guidance of Shastri, and the latter has now stated that he would like his fast bowlers to have that fire in them. Shastri, who created an aggressive approach for Team India along with then captain Virat Kohli, suggested the philosophy should be to 'give it back as best as possible'.
During the second Test, Travis Head had targeted Siraj and the rest of the Indian bowling en route to a game-changing 140. When Siraj finally got Head out, a verbal altercation ensued between the two, with Siraj issuing a message. out.
The pacer was fined 20 percent of his match fee by the ICC, with both players receiving a penalty point.
However, Shastri has backed Siraj.
“I didn't expect anything less from a fast bowler after he was hit for a six. Siraj was letting off some steam. That's the temperament of the fast bowler. You want it to be that way. When I was playing, my The philosophy was to give it back the best you can and that's exactly what I would tell my players when I coached India in Australia, don't hold back,” Shastri wrote in his column for CODE Sports.
“Don't take a single step back. It then became the philosophy of the team and everyone from Virat Kohli to Rishabh Pant and every member of the squad was ready to give it back to the Aussies,” Shastri added.
Shastri also expressed confidence that Siraj and Head are 'mature individuals' who would not escalate the moment into a bigger controversy.
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