Mohammad Siraj and Travis Head may have dismissed their short-lived beef, but India captain Rohit Sharma was asked about the aggressive nature the Indian fast bowler took on in the Adelaide Test. Siraj took four wickets, including a head scalp, in the first innings, demolishing the Indian bowlers for 140 off 141 balls.
“Yes, he likes to go into battle. That gives him success. As captain, it’s my job to support that aggression. Obviously, there’s a fine line—we don’t want to cross anything that disrespects the game. But a word or two with the opposition. It’s not a bad thing to have. He likes it, and it goes to him. In the past, we have seen many cricketers thrive in such battles, and Siraj is definitely one of them,” Rohit said at the press conference.
But the Indian skipper also added that there was a line between being aggressive and going overboard and if he had seen something like that happening, he would have stepped in and resolved the issue.
“That said, there is a fine line between being aggressive and crossing the line. As captain, it is my responsibility to ensure that we do not cross that line. A word or two here and there does not make a big difference,” he added.
After an exchange of words with Head, Siraj found himself at the mercy of the crowd, who started taunting him. When Mitchell Starc hit him for a boundary, it sparked cheers from the Adelaide crowd.
“Our players are used to performing in big crowds. When things are good, they support; When things don’t, they don’t, that happens everywhere. Siraj knows what he has to do for the team. His job is to take wickets, and he will do whatever it takes 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,” added Rohit.
The India-Australia series is now tied at one game apiece and will shift to the Gabba starting November 14.