Rohit Sharma expressed his desire for pacer Mohammed Siraj to keep bowling despite Siraj already delivering seven consecutive overs. However, Rohit mentioned that the team’s trainer advised against it, despite Siraj’s willingness to continue bowling. Siraj delivered an exceptional performance, taking six wickets for 21 runs in seven overs.
This remarkable bowling display led to Sri Lanka being dismissed for just 50 runs in 15.2 overs during the Asia Cup 2023 final in Colombo on Sunday, September 17. During a post-match press conference after India’s dominant 10-wicket victory, Rohit Sharma discussed his thoughts on Siraj’s remarkable performance and clarified the reason behind limiting the pacer to just seven overs.
“We all complimented him and were behind him when he was bowling that spell. He bowled seven overs which is a lot. I wanted to keep bowling him, but I got a message from our trainer that we need to stop him now. He was also quite desperate to bowl. That’s the nature of any bowler or any batter when they see the opportunity, they want to pounce on it,” Rohit said.
The 36-year-old mentioned that despite Siraj being in superb form, it was essential to stay grounded and consider the larger context of the match. He further stated:
“But that’s where my job comes in and I want to make sure everything stays a little calm and you don’t over exaggerate a little too much. That’s the call. I remember against Sri Lanka in Trivandrum he was in a similar situation, he bowled eight-nine overs on a trot, he was on four wickets. But seven overs is good enough.”
“That is a special skillset” – Rohit commented on Siraj’s ability to make the ball move on a dry pitch
Siraj took four wickets in the fourth over of the innings, causing Sri Lanka to struggle at 12/5.
Rohit continued to commend Siraj, highlighting that generating movement on a dry pitch, like the one in Colombo, requires exceptional skills. He emphasized the importance of keeping bowlers fresh for future challenges.
“Siraj has to be specially mentioned here, when the pitch is looking that dry, to get the ball to move around like that is a special skillset. I hope he continues that for a little longer, at the same time we just need to look after all the bowlers, make sure they’re fresh, and keep them ready for the games in front of us now,” Rohit Sharma concluded.
Following Siraj’s remarkable performance in the Asia Cup final, India secured victory in just 6.1 overs.
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