ENG vs IND 2025: Ajinkya Rahane Reveals Why Mohammed Siraj Was Angry with Him

Star Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane has said that he always admires Mohammed Siraj for bowling long spells. He revealed that during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, when he was the captain for four out of five Tests, Siraj was angry with him as he was given the ball late in his first match.

The Hyderabad fast bowler took the most wickets in the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy with 23 wickets at an average of 32.43. Apart from the wickets he took, the special thing was that he played all the matches of the series and bowled 1110 balls.

Rahane said this big thing about Siraj

According to Rahane, Siraj’s aggression and intensity makes him an even more lethal bowler. The Kolkata Knight Riders captain said that Siraj is one of those rare fast bowlers in world cricket who looks fully prepared even when he bowls his first ball.

Rahane said on his YouTube channel, “The thing I like about Siraj is that he always likes to bowl long spells. Even in the 2020-21 series, he was willing to do it with the same intensity. In Australia, when he was making his debut, he was angry because I gave him the ball too late. He still has anger in him. This anger brings out the best in Mohammed Siraj. We saw it in the England series. The aggression in his bowling and the intensity with which he bowls, he is always fully prepared by the time he bowls his first ball. This is the biggest quality of a great bowler.”

Siraj also jumped in ICC Test rankings

Siraj took part in all five Test matches against England and bowled 185.3 overs. After his match-winning performance in the fifth and final Test against England at the Oval, he has achieved his career-best 15th ranking in the latest ICC Test rankings.

Siraj jumped 12 places after taking nine wickets in the match, including a five-wicket haul. In this thrilling match, India defeated the hosts by six runs to level the series 2-2.

Rahane has not been selected in the West Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy. The right-handed batsman last played a match for the Indian cricket team in July 2023 and is now trying to make a comeback in the Indian team.