India's World Cup-winning star Virender Sehwag lavished praise on Gujarat Titans (GT) speedster Mohammed Siraj for his impressive performance against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Indian Premier League 2025, match 14 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
After getting released by RCB, Siraj got picked by GT in the IPL 2025 mega-auction, and the speedster was awarded Player of the Match for his iconic performance against the old franchise. Siraj picked up three wickets and conceded just 19 runs at an economy of 4.8 in his spell of four overs.
Sehwag reckons that Siraj could have picked another wicket if he bowled four overs on a trot. He also believes that the speedster is hurt because he was snubbed from India's ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad.
"He has that fire. And somewhere I feel he is hurt that he wasn't part of the Champions Trophy squad, and I saw that fire. That's what we expect from a young fast bowler. ‘Yeah, you didn’t pick me? Now I will show you.’ I hope he continues with the same intensity and makes a comeback in the Indian team" Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
"He maintained his record with the new ball in Chinnaswamy. He gave away only 12 or 13 runs in the first three overs. He could've probably bowled the fourth over at the same time, too, he might have taken another wicket. He swings the new ball, and yesterday, he also got help from the wicket" added Sehwag.
Siraj last featured for India during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia. Siraj ended the five-test match series with 20 wickets at an average of 31.15, with the best bowling figures of 4/98. He ended up as India's second-highest wicket-taker and overall fourth among all bowlers.
Gujarat Titans will now face Sunrisers Hyderabad for their third clash of the ongoing cash-rich league, which will take place on April 6 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.