Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag showered praise on Mohammed Siraj after Gujarat Titans registered an eight-wicket win against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Siraj returned with impressive figures of 3-19 in his quota of four overs against his former team. The right-arm pacer accounted for Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, and a well-settled Liam Livingstone in his fine spell of bowling.
Siraj was not retained by RCB ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction but the fast bowler was able to prove his mettle against his former team, where he played for seven seasons.
Virender Sehwag said on Cricbuzz, “He has that fire. And somewhere I feel he is hurt that he wasn’t part of the Champions Trophy squad, and I saw that fire. That’s what we expect from a young fast bowler. ‘Yeah, you didn’t pick me? Now I will show you.’ I hope he continues with the same intensity and makes a comeback in the Indian team.”
Sehwag said Siraj made the most of the known conditions in Bengaluru and bowled at the top of his game.
He added, “He maintained his record with the new ball in Chinnaswamy. He gave away only 12 or 13 runs in the first three overs. He could’ve probably bowled the fourth over at the same time, too, he might have taken another wicket. He swings the new ball, and yesterday, he also got help from the wicket.”
Siraj played an instrumental role in restricting RCB to 169 and thus bagged the Player of the Match award for his fine show. The fast bowler was able to make the most of the favorable conditions on offer.
Gujarat Titans will next take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on Sunday.
