'I felt his pace was a little less': Shubman Gill clears air on Mohammed Siraj's fitness after India miss 2-0 series sweep

In a series of interesting developments, Shubman Gill backed his players after India fell short of securing a 2-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka. The Indian Test skipper also addressed rumors regarding Mohammed Siraj, denying claims that the star pacer had been carrying an injury during the tour. Questions over Siraj's fitness had particularly surfaced during the second Test, which  ended in a draw on Thursday, August 27.

Gill's justification came after frustrating Day 5 for India, who were unable to dismiss Sri Lanka's lower order and claim the last four wickets. Having been forced to follow on, the hosts entered the final day with only four wickets in hand, but Sonal Dinusha displayed fighting spirit to deny India a win. The left-handed batter managed to stay unbeaten on 133 as Sri Lanka stretched their second innings to 429 for 9 from 154 overs. With a result no longer possible, both captains agreed to end proceedings.

Mohammed Siraj looked off-color

Mohammed Siraj struggled to produce his best on the final day of the second Test, with his speed and rhythm appearing below the levels normally associated with the Indian speedster. Although he kept things by conceding only 26 runs from 15 overs, Siraj was unable to clinch any wickets. The speedster had hurt his ribs while fielding on Day 4, leading to questions over his fitness, but Gill rejected those claims despite the drop in Siraj's pace.

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“There are no injury concerns for him. I felt his pace was a little less in this series, but he was playing after a couple of months. It takes time to come back,” Gill said while speaking to the press.

Positive signs for Team India

India's relatively young batting lineup produced several encouraging performances during the series, with Devdutt Padikkal and KL Rahul making notable contributions. Captain Shubman Gill also praised the performance delivered by the bowling attack, noting its role in the team's overall performance.

After receiving the Player of the Series honour, Padikkaal acknowledged that India were disappointed not to finish the series on a winning note. However, the left-handed batter felt the two-match clash offered several valuable takeaways for the team moving forward.