"Conistently landing the ball in the right areas..." India's legend praises Siraj

Sports News: Former Indian legend and member of the ICC's Hall of Fame has expressed his happiness at Mohammed Siraj's lionhearted effort. Siraj picked up a sensational six-wicket haul in the first innings of the Edgbaston test (6-70). At one point when it looked like England was coming somewhat close to India's mammoth 587, Siraj weaved his magic. Having picked up Zak Crawley's wicket in the last session on Day 2, the fast bowler stamped his authority early on Day 3 with consecutive wickets of Joe Root and Ben Stokes. The God of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, has some words of praise for the bowler.

Landing the ball in the right areas: Sachin

The former Indian batting sensation and 2011 World Cup winner, Sachin Tendulkar, has praised Mohammad Siraj for his exceptional bowling effort. Following Siraj's six-fer, the legend said. “The biggest change I’ve noticed in Siraj has been his accuracy and consistency in landing the ball in the right areas. His persistence has been rewarded with 6 wickets. Very ably supported by Akash Deep as well. Well done!" Siraj's spell helped India gain a 180-run lead.

Sachin also praised English middle-order batters Harry Brook and Jamie Smith. “Special partnership between Brook and Smith, who were under pressure and counterattacked beautifully to bring England much closer to India’s total than one would’ve expected," he added. Brook and Smith scored 158 and 184*, respectively.

Siraj steps up in Bumrah's absence

The aggressive fast bowler went through England's defenses six times. While everyone was concerned about India's bowling in Jasprit Bumrah's absence, Siraj stepped up with his skill and sheer determination. An interesting stat is that Siraj's average playing alongside Bumrah is 34, while it drastically comes down to 26 when Bumrah is not playing. This shows that the speedster is ready to take responsibility on his shoulders. With his six-wicket haul at Edgbaston, Siraj now has a fifer in Australia, South Africa, England, and the West Indies.

Akash Deep picks up a four-fer!

Akash Deep, who came in as Bumrah's replacement in the test, picked up a crucial four-wicket haul. Although Siraj was the standout bowler, it was Akash who provided rhythm to India's bowling by dismissing Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope on consecutive deliveries on day 2. The fast bowler also picked up Brooks' wicket, which broke the massive 303-run partnership. India is now well placed at 64-1, with a lead of 244.