Former India cricketer RP Singh heaped praise on Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna for their impressive bowling spells on Day 4 of the fifth Test against England. He pointed out how the pair managed to extract sharp bounce from a 70-over-old ball, which made things difficult for the English batters.
England, who were comfortably placed at 301/3 at one point, ended the day at 339/6 in their second innings on Sunday, August 3, at The Oval. They now require 35 more runs to win the match and clinch the series 3-1. Speaking on Sony Sports, Singh praised Siraj and Krishna for using swing and bounce to trouble the hosts with an old ball.
“It was a 70-over-old ball and the swing was conventional. It’s not like it was reversing. The way they bowled was praiseworthy. It’s not that easy. A 70-over-old ball becomes slightly soft, no matter how hard the ball might be. After that, you need effort to get the ball to bounce like that,” he said.
The former Indian fast bowler further noted that while Krishna claimed the final two wickets, Siraj’s contribution was just as praiseworthy.
“Both bowlers showed that energy. Prasidh Krishna got two wickets for sure, but Mohammed Siraj created the atmosphere. How many times did the ball come and hit the pads, and how many close calls were there. If one ball had struck slightly here or there, he too would have picked up a wicket,” Singh observed.
“Every ball felt like a wicket with Siraj and Krishna’s final spells”- RP Singh
During the same discussion, RP Singh mentioned that Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna consistently troubled the England batters with almost every delivery they bowled.
“The way they were bowling, and along with that the body language, the ball was actually talking. It seemed like something was going to happen on every ball, either it would hit the pads or go to the slips. In the end, Krishna dismissed Joe Root with a good ball as well,” he said.
The cricketer-turned-commentator said the duo bowled superbly in tandem, possibly after a final push from Shubman Gill.
“Together, they ensured that the batters were standing at their respective ends, and the Indian team benefited from that. Jacob Bethell was kept on a leash. The lengths were excellent, because of which Joe Root, a set batter, was also sent back. It clearly showed that the partnership came in handy. The captain would have asked both the bowlers for one big push,” Singh elaborated.
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