Mohammed Siraj faced criticism for his attitude following a verbal altercation with Travis Head during the second India-Australia Test in Adelaide. Despite the backlash over his temperament, Siraj has received support from his former coach, Ravi Shastri. Siraj, who developed under Shastri’s guidance, was involved in the exchange with Head during the match. Shastri, who helped shape India’s aggressive approach alongside then-captain Virat Kohli, expressed that he would want his fast bowlers to exhibit that same intensity. Shastri emphasized that the philosophy should be to “give it back as good as you get.”
During the second Test, Travis Head scored a game-changing 140, hitting Siraj and the rest of the Indian bowlers hard. After Siraj eventually dismissed Head, a verbal altercation ensued, with Siraj delivering a fiery send-off.
The ICC fined Siraj 20 percent of his match fees, and both players received a demerit point.
Despite the criticism, Shastri has backed Siraj’s actions.
“I wouldn’t have expected anything less from a fast bowler who had just been hit for a six. Siraj was releasing some frustration. That’s the temperament of a fast bowler, and that’s exactly what you want. When I was playing, my philosophy was to give it back as hard as you get. That’s what I always told my players when I coached India in Australia—never hold back,” Shastri wrote in his column for CODE Sports.
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“Never take a step backward. That became the team’s philosophy, with everyone from Virat Kohli to Rishabh Pant ready to stand up to the Aussies,” Shastri added.
He also expressed confidence that both Siraj and Head are “mature individuals” who wouldn’t allow the situation to escalate further.
