ENG vs IND: "People love to hate him"- Nasser Hussain correlates 'pantomime villain' Mohammed Siraj with Shane Warne

Mohammed Siraj ended as the highest wicket-taker in ENG vs IND test series with 23 scalps.

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has lauded Mohammed Siraj after the right-arm pacer helped India to make a fabulous comeback against England in the five-match series. Siraj picked a five-wicket haul in second innings of The Oval test to help India register a dramatic victory by six runs.

On day five of the encounter, England needed 35 more runs for victory with four wickets left in their kitty. Siraj dismissed three wickets out of four to end England’s innings at 367 runs against a 374-run target. With a four-wicket haul in the first innings, he ended up with nine wickets in the clash to win Player of the Match award.

Moreover, Siraj also ended as the leading wicket-taker in the series with 23 scalps. Unlike Jasprit Bumrah, Siraj played in all five matches during the series, bowling more than 185 overs. Notably, Bumrah was absent in the second and fifth test that India won, and Siraj led the team’s pace attack in both matches.

Mohammed Siraj plays the pantomime villain at times like Shane Warne, feels Nasser Hussain

In his column for the Daily Mail, former England captain Nasser Hussain wrote that Siraj sometimes plays the role of a pantomime villain like former Australia spinner Shane Warne.

“Of course, they ended up winning two games that Bumrah didn’t play, and the reason for that was because of one man, really – Mohammed Siraj. Siraj is a cricketer who always gives it everything. Yes, he plays pantomime villain at times, a bit like Warney did, and so people love to hate him, but he regularly has that massive smile on his face too,” he wrote.

Hussain also added that England players call Siraj “Mr. Angry” for his fiery and dominating attitude against batsmen on the field.

He’s fiery, the England boys call him Mr. Angry, and he has the longest follow through in the history of the game, but he demands your attention. You could do a montage of the histrionics – down on his knees in despair at Lord’s, the celebrations and dejection when DRS decisions go one way or another,” Hussain wrote.

“He’s a born entertainer, but crucially he’s got all the other attributes you need at the highest level: heart, passion, and ultimately skill,” he added.

Meanwhile, Indian skipper Shubman Gill and England’s Harry Brook won Player of the Series awards. With 754 runs across five matches in the series, Gill ended as the highest run-scorer with four centuries, including a double ton in the second test at Edgbaston.

The ENG vs IND test series ended in a 2-2 draw with England winning the first test at Headingley by five wickets and the third test at The Lord’s by 22 runs. India clinched a victory in the second game at Edgbaston by 336 runs and the fifth test at The Oval by six runs. The fourth test in Manchester ended in a draw.

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