In a bold and impassioned call, legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has called for star pacer Mohammed Siraj to be dropped for the fifth and final Test of the ongoing 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.
Gavaskar believes it is time to be brutally honest with Siraj about his poor performances on Australian tracks, which have been extremely favorable to the fast bowlers so far in the ongoing five-match Test series.
Sunil Gavaskar calls for brutal honesty with Mohammed Siraj and urges omission in New Year's Test
Sunil Gavaskar has urged the Indian cricket team to take a firm stand and tell Mohammed Siraj that recent performances with the ball have simply not been up to par so far in the ongoing Test series as he suggested that the bowler the quick should be dropped for the crucial New Year Test.
Mohammed Siraj's performance against Australia in the ongoing Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) raised eyebrows as the Indian pacer bowled 23 runs but failed to take a single wicket while he conceded 122 runs at an alarming economy rate of 5.30. .
Siraj's struggles were clear with just three maidens in his spell and India's hopes of a comeback in the ongoing 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy were further dented as Australia had already amassed 474 runs in the first innings, leaving the tourists reeling. 164/5 by end of day 2.
Siraj needs to be told he is left out of the team for non-performance: Sunil Gavaskar
After the conclusion of Day 2's play in Melbourne, Sunil Gavaskar insisted that the Indian cricket team must stop covering up the issue and send a clear message to Siraj about his performance.
The legendary Indian batsman also believes that Siraj would benefit from being dropped rather than being 'rested' as resting him could send wrong signals to others about their place in the team.
Sunil Gavaskar was quoted by Star Sports as saying, “I think Siraj, maybe, needs a little break. In the sense that they don't say break, he needs to be told that he is being left out of the team for non-performance. There has to be a situation where you can't beat around the bush.
“You have to be brutal up front and say, 'Look, your performance wasn't up to par and therefore you're being dropped.' When you start talking about “rest” players get the wrong ideas. They feel they don't need to up their game suggestions that were helpful. This is something that needs to be said.”
Sunil Gavaskar calls for inclusion of Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana in SCG Test
In a bold suggestion, Sunil Gavaskar has called for the inclusion of Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana in the New Year Test against Australia starting January 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in Sydney.
He believes that Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana would be great complements to Jasprit Bumrah and would provide fresh and much-needed impetus to India's fast bowling attack in the ongoing BGT 2024-25. Gavaskar concluded by saying, “If you want to make two changes. Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana to support Jasprit Bumrah. By all means, do it.”