New Delhi: Indian skipper Rohit Sharma backed his teammate Mohammed Siraj as he opened up on the heated face-off between the Indian pacer and Australia batter Travis Head during the 2nd Test at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide. Australia thrashed India by 10 wickets in the pink-ball encounter to bounce back to winning ways and level the five-match series 1-1.
The match saw some heated moments between the players from both sides but it was the face-off between Siraj and Head that garnered headlines. The duo were involved in a heated verbal exchange during Australia’s first innings on Day 2 of the Test match. Siraj was fired up after cleaning up Head on 140 and gave him a fiery send-off.
Siraj soon invited criticism from a section of the Australian media and fans as he was criticised for ‘disrespecting’ Head with his celebration. The verbal battle between the duo continued off the field as both Head and Siraj gave contradicting statements about their verbal exchange. Opening up on the same, Rohit said Siraj is someone who enjoys a battle and he wants to back his aggression. However, he insisted lines should not be crossed.
“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 following India’s defeat in the 2nd Test on Sunday.
“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.
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma broke his silence on the heated exchange between Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head which unfolded on Day 2 of the pink-ball Test in Adelaide. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
