India pacer Mohammed Siraj lavished praise on former wicketkeeper-batter Syed Kirmani who was part of the legendary team that won the ODI World Cup 1983 at Lord's, London. At the launch of Kirmani's autobiography 'Stumped: Life Behind and Beyond The Twenty-Two Yards' on August 10 in Hyderabad, Siraj called the 75-year-old's work behind the stumps as "extraordinary".
"Sir, when you won the 1983 World Cup, we were not even born. It has been a motivating and inspiring story of yours. I have heard from many players, your reflexes behind the wickets were extraordinary. Thank you so much for everything for the Indian cricket team," Siraj said at the event.
Kirmani returned the favour as he lauded the pacer for leading India to a six-run win at The Oval to level the five-Test series on England soil 2-2.
"You performed really well. My congratulations to you. You have brought glory to the country with your exuberance...that aggressiveness right from the heart it was. I wish you every success," Kirmani said.
Siraj was the leading wicket-taker in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. The 31-year-old registered 23 scalps from five Tests at an average of 32.43, including two five-wicket hauls and four-fer.
Kirmani’s contributions in 1983 World Cup
Kirmani had second-most dismissals in the 1983 World Cup. He was only behind West Indies' Jeff Dujon (16 dismissals. Kirmani's 14 dismissals including 12 catches and two stumpings.
Down the order, he scored 61 runs from six innings, including a handy unbeaten 24 against Zimbabwe. He shared an unbeaten 126-run partnership for the ninth wicket with skipper Kapil Dev who remained not out for 175. In the low-scoring final against West Indies, he scored 14 runs from 43 balls in the 22-run 10th wicket partnership. He was the last to fall as Michael Holding knocked him over.
T20I comeback for Siraj?
On the back of his performances in Tests and the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Siraj is eyeing a comeback to the T20I squad. He was not part of the T20I series at home against England, prior to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. His last T20I appearance was against Sri Lanka last year.
The selectors may be inclined to pick Siraj in the side for the upcoming T20 Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE.