Mohammed Siraj in action during 3rd Test against Australia© AFP
Legendary Indian cricket team skipper Sunil Gavaskar was left fuming with Mohammed Siraj after a mix-up with Ravindra Jadeja during Day 4 of the third Test match against Australia in Brisbane on Tuesday. Siraj walked out to bat at No. 9 for India after the dismissal of Nitish Kumar Reddy with India still quite a bit away from avoiding follow-on. In the 62nd over, Jadeja took a single off the fourth ball and it seemed like Siraj will play out the next two balls. However, Siraj took a single off the next ball but not before a massive mix-up between the batters. A direct hit would have resulted in a catastrophe but it was wide and they were able to complete the run. However, Jadeja was not pleased with what happened and Gavaskar lashed out in disbelief and questioned Siraj’s actions in such an intense situation.
“Even now, in the middle of the crease, they are having a conversation. Siraj is having a conversation. What’s going on over here? One ball is left in the over. All you’ve got to do is stick around. There is no run. It looks to be in a very casual manner. Look at that. There’s got to be some cricketing awareness. You are a no.9 batter. You have to think about team. You cannot think of taking risky singles,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
India’s Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep pulled off an unlikely 10th-wicket partnership on Tuesday to avoid the follow-on and put the third Test against Australia in Brisbane on course for a draw.
When the pair came together the tourists still needed 33 runs to make Australia bat again at the Gabba on another day marred by rain delays.
But under gloomy skies, the two managed to see off Australia’s much-vaunted pace attack to frustrate the home side on day four.
Deep scored the crucial runs with an edge to the boundary just past the outstretched hand of Nathan McSweeney off Australian captain Pat Cummins.
He celebrated two balls later by smashing Cummins over deep mid-wicket for a massive six before umpires took them from the field for bad light with India 252-9, trailing by 193 runs.
The five-match series is currently locked 1-1.
(With AFP inputs)
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