Ravi Shastri Supports Mohammed Siraj's Aggressive Temperament In Second Test
The Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj faced a lot of criticism after the heated clash with Travis Head in the second Test match against Australia. After getting a lot of hate and criticism from everyone, including in the cricket fraternity, Siraj got support from his former coach Ravi Shastri.
Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri said that he wants his fast bowlers to have this kind of fire within themselves. This is what a fast bowler’s temperament should be. Shastri, during his coaching tenure, created an aggressive approach to Team India with then skipper Virat Kohli. During both of their coaching and captaincy tenures, they changed the whole structure of the Indian Test Cricket Team. Shastri suggested the Indian team should ‘give it back as good as you get.’
Shastri came in support of Siraj and said,
‘I wouldn’t have expected anything else from a fast bowler after he’d been hit for a six. Siraj was letting off some steam. That’s the fast bowler’s temperament. You want it to be like that. When I was playing, my philosophy was to give it back as good as you get. And it’s exactly what I would tell my players when I was coaching India in Australia.”
Further, he said that the team should not take even a single step backward. Everyone from the team, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant of the squad should be prepared to give it back to the Aussies.
“Do not take even one step backwards. It then became the team’s philosophy and everyone from Virat Kohli to Rishabh Pant and every member of the squad was prepared to give it back to the Aussies.”
Siraj was fined 20 percent of his match fees by the ICC due to his inappropriate behavior in the second Test in Adelaide and was given a demerit point. Shastri even said that both Head and Siraj are mature individuals who won’t make the matter into a big controversy.