Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head may have quashed their short-lived beef, but India captain Rohit Sharma was asked about the aggressive nature with which the Indian fast bowler has carried himself in the Adelaide Test. Siraj took four wickets in the first innings, including the scalp of Head, who had smashed Indian bowlers for 140 runs at a clip of 141 balls.
“Yeah, he likes to get into the battle. It gives him success. As the captain, it’s my job to back that aggression. Obviously, there’s a fine line-we don’t want to cross anything that disrespects the game. But having a word or two with the opposition is not a bad thing. He likes it, and it gets him going. In the past, we’ve seen many cricketers thrive in such battles, and Siraj is definitely one of them,” Rohit said in the press-conference.
But the Indian captain also added that there was a line between being aggressive and going overboard and if he had seen something like that happen, he would have stepped in and sorted the issue out.
“That said, there’s a thin line between being aggressive and crossing the limit. As captain, it’s my responsibility to ensure we don’t cross that line. A word or two here and there doesn’t make a huge difference,” he added.
After the words exchanged with Head, Siraj found himself at the mercy of the crowd who started to boo him. When Mitchell Starc struck him for a four, it induced cheers among the Adelaide crowd.
“Our players are used to performing in big crowds. When things go well, they support; when things don’t, they don’t, that happens everywhere. Siraj knows what he needs to do for the team. His job is to take wickets, and he will do everything required to achieve that. External factors don’t matter to him. The team is mature enough to keep such distractions out and focus on the game,” Rohit further added.
The India-Australia series is now tied at one game apiece and moves to the Gabba starting on November 14.
