Day in, day out, throughout the five-Test series, Mohammed Siraj has been a regular in the Indian pace attack. On Day 4 of the fifth Test at Kennington Oval, London, Siraj wasn’t tired out and continued to run in and ask questions from England batters. At the end of the day, it paid off as he applied the pressure which helped India make a comeback in the match. Hailing Siraj’s efforts, centurion Joe Root labelled Siraj as "a real warrior". He feels that Siraj's aggression is fake at times and he's a nice buy in reality.
“He’s a character, a warrior, he’s a real warrior," Root said in the post-day press conference. “He’s someone that you want on your team; he’s that kind of character. He gives everything for India, and credit to him for that, the way he approaches cricket. He’s got this, like, fake angriness about him sometimes, which I can see straight through. He’s actually a really nice lad, but he tries it incredibly hard. He’s a very skillful player; there’s a reason why he’s got all those wickets."
Root wants youngsters to learn from Siraj
Root also hailed Siraj's work ethic. He wants youngsters to follow him as he does everything he can for the team.
“It’s because of his work ethic and skill level. I enjoy playing against him. He’s always got a big smile on his face, and he’ll give everything for his team. So I guess you couldn’t want anything more of that as fan watching, and he’s a great example to any young players starting out," Root added.
Root disappointed with himself despite century
Root and Harry Brook shared a 195-run stand for the fourth wicket on Day 4. However, he could not see things off and edged one to Dhruv Jurel off Prasidh Krishna’s bowling. His was the last wicket to fall on Day 4 as bad light and rain stopped play. The 34-year-old departed after scoring 105 runs from 152 balls, including 12 boundaries. But, he is not happy with his performance as he wanted to finish the run chase.
“I was really frustrated because I missed out, it was really disappointing to not still be there tonight and get us over the line. But we are still in a really good position, a lot of batting left and the two guys out there are very capable of seeing us home. It has been one hell of a series, one hell of a journey and we have the confidence in our dressing room," he said.
England were 339/6 at the end of day's play. Wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton will resume the run chase on Day 5. In addition, Root also revealed that Chris Woakes will be available to bat if the need arises.