Harbhajan Singh: Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh lauded India pacer Mohammed Siraj after his heroics in the fifth and final Test of the series against England at The Oval. The visitors beat England by a narrow six-run margin and clinched a thrilling win to level the series 2-2.
Harbhajan Singh: Mohammed Siraj brought his famous Cristiano Ronaldo celebration after he picked up the final wicket on Day 5. Harbhajan reckoned that Siraj is indeed India’s Ronaldo, praising him for his performance throughout the series. The pacer made a massive blunder on Day 4 and gave Harry Brook a lifeline. However, he more than made up for it and won the game for his country eventually.
Harbhajan Singh: “I felt that England would score the runs because they bat deep. But the way Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna bowled, they completely turned the game. Siraj is our Ronaldo. He took 23 wickets. He gave his all throughout the series whenever he came to bowl,” he said on his YouTube channel.
Harbhajan Singh: “When Siraj dropped that catch, everyone thought the match was done. But he focused on what he had to do today, and he completely made up for that catch. Siraj will come back as a hero from England,” he added.
The pacer ended as the leading wicket-taker with 23 scalps from five matches at an average of 32.43 with two fifers, including one in the final innings at The Oval. Overall, he bagged nine wickets in the fifth Test.
Further, Harbhajan also praised India captain Shubman Gill. The former cricketer reflected that it was a crucial series for the visitors to determine the future. He was impressed with Gill’s captaincy and performance as a batter at the same time.
“This series was important because it would decide the future of Indian cricket. When the team went, I had told don’t see the result. Shubman Gill has just become captain, he has a young team, give them some time. The core of any team settles with time. The way he led the team, I loved it,” he said (3:06).
“Along with captaincy, the way he batted, I don’t think any batter has been as successful in England. This was a Sir Don Bradman series for him,” he added.
Gill ended as the leading run-getter with 754 runs at an average of 75.40 with four hundreds, which included a double hundred.
Harbhajan Singh praises Indian opener and all-rounder
Harbhajan Singh also had words of appreciation for Indian opener KL Rahul and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. He lauded Rahul for the way he carried out his role at the top of the order. The former cricketer deemed the right-hander a strong batter who you need in Test cricket.
“KL Rahul has done what you need from an opener in Test cricket. Many times he was shifted to number four, number six, number three. Here, he opened the whole series and scored 532 runs. So it makes a lot of difference when you back such a player. His performance was right at the top. You need some players who are very strong batters in Test cricket and Rahul is right at the top of those batters,” he said.
Rahul made 532 runs with two hundreds and as many fifties. He played an important role as a senior batter in the team. The former India cricketer reckoned that Ravindra Jadeja’s batting in the series came as a big plus point. He added that Jadeja answered everyone who questioned his batting with his performance in the series.
“Ravindra Jadeja batted really well. People say that he bowls but does not bat at all. He has been scoring in the past, but even then, people were telling he is a bowler who bats a bit. Look at his record. Making 516 runs in England is not an ordinary thing. A big, big plus for him,” he said
The left-hander scored 516 runs at an average of 86 with a hundred and five half-centuries.
