NEW DELHI: Mohammed Siraj‘s temper has recently been a subject of debate but Australian quick Josh Hazlewood labelled India speedster as a ‘good character’ and sees his passion for the game similar to star Virat Kohli.
Two separate on-field incidents involving Siraj during the pink-ball Test, which India lost by 10 wickets, brought his temper into focus.
During Australia’s first innings, Siraj threw the ball at Marnus Labuschagne after the batter moved from his stance, interrupting Siraj’s bowling rhythm. The incident happened when a spectator carrying beer cups walked into Labuschagne’s line of sight.
The following day, Siraj exchanged words with Travis Head after dismissing him. The exchange earned Siraj boos from the Adelaide crowd.
“He’s just a good character and it’s good to see sometimes,” said Hazlewood, who shared the dressing room with both Siraj and Kohli during his time at the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.
“I really enjoyed my time at RCB with Siraj. He’s probably the leader of the attack there, to a degree. He’s another one who’s a bit like Virat, very passionate, goes with the flow of the game, gets the crowd up. He has bowled serious spells in the IPL in the last few years,” he added.
Hazlewood, who missed the second Test with a side strain, dismissed Kohli for 5 runs in the first innings of the opening Test in Perth. This was the fourth time Hazlewood dismissed the India star in Test matches.
Hazlewood explained that success in these matchups often depends on who performs better on a given day. Factors include how well the batter leaves deliveries until the ball softens or if another bowler is less effective.
“It just comes down to who executes well on the day, whether he leaves you well until the ball gets soft or someone else comes on the balls and doesn’t ball quite well enough,” he said.
“There’s a lot of match-ups like that throughout international cricket. You know, we’ve played each other so much. If you’ve been around for 10 years, you pretty much know each other inside out.”
Hazlewood observed that current batsmen are more inclined to attack the bowling compared to players from a decade ago. He noted that different players require different approaches, with some demanding patience while others are aggressive but dangerous scorers.
“There are different players in different teams there are some players you really need to be patient with. There are others who come after you, so you don’t have to be patient but they are dangerous because they can score.
“I don’t think betters are probably as patient as they were 10 years ago. They like to feel the ball and we’ve seen the way England play and even players in the Indian team with (Rishabh) Pant and (Nitish) Reddy and guys like that.”
India’s 10-wicket defeat in the pink-ball Test leveled the five-match series at 1-1, following Australia’s 295-run loss in the first match. The series now moves to Brisbane for the third Test, starting December 14.
Australia has lost its last two matches at the Gabba as they aim to return to winning form at a venue where they historically have performed well.
Their most recent Gabba Test saw West Indies secure an 8-run victory in a day-night match, spearheaded by Shamarh Brooks’s bowling performance.
“We always play pretty well in Brisbane (but) the last Test was obviously pink-ball,” Hazlewood said.
“The pink-ball gets quite soft in Brisbane quite early on, with the wicket being quite hard, it doesn’t have that thatch grass that we see here at Adelaide.
“So we’re back to the red-ball there, which suits us. We obviously haven’t won recently up there, but it’s a place we like to play as it suits our guys.
“It’s an experienced team, so we’ve all been there a lot of times. It’s probably more just the time difference – the going from day-night and sleeping in – to your sleeping patterns, getting that adjusted and getting back on track.”
