Sachin Tendulkar lavishes praise on Mohammed Siraj following his mega effort in taking 23 wickets for the series.
Sachin Tendulkar: Siraj ‘doesn’t get the credit he deserves’.
The efforts of a few Indian players who were instrumental in the five-match Test series against England, which ended 2-2 following a thrilling final-day finale, have been praised by Sachin Tendulkar. In addition to praising the “unbelievable” Mohammed Siraj, Tendulkar also discussed how Shubman Gill stayed “calm and composed” as a captain, how KL Rahul improved his game off stump with “precise footwork,” and how Yashasvi Jaiswal displayed a great deal of maturity and character during his double hundreds.
Aside from the thrilling conclusion and the first-ever sharing of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, the series included several unexpected turns, intense confrontations, and some outstanding individual performances, including Chris Woakes and Rishabh Pant stepping out to bat despite injuries. Pant averaged 68.42 with a strike rate of 77.63 while playing in four of the five Test matches, scoring two hundreds and three half-centuries, the last of which he achieved due to a damaged right foot.
“The sweep shot that he played, he likes to get under the ball to scoop it with some elevation,” Tendulkar said on Reddit. “People think he has fallen, but it is intentional so that he can get under the ball. The secret to play those shots is to be able to get under the ball. So it’s a planned fall, he doesn’t go off-balance. All that depends on the length of the ball.”
While calling Pant’s strokeplay and the “punch” he adds to them a “god’s gift”, Tendulkar said, “There were occasions where people felt he doesn’t have to play that shot, it’s not the right time, but someone like Rishabh should be left alone. But when he’s looking to save a match, he has to have a different approach, like in the last 15-20 overs of a match. But he has figured out [how to approach an innings] depending on the match situation.”