Mohammed Siraj grabbed attention during the one-off Test between India and Afghanistan in Mullanpur after a light-hearted on-field exchange with Afghanistan batter Rahmat Shah.
The incident took place on Day 3 of the match. Siraj was bowling to Rahmat Shah during Afghanistan’s first innings. Rahmat is known for his patient batting style in red-ball cricket. Siraj appeared to tease him by throwing the ball towards him after a delivery.
Rahmat did not react aggressively. Instead, he laughed at the gesture. Afghanistan head coach Richard Pybus was also seen smiling in the dressing room. The moment quickly became a talking point among fans and on social media.
Fortunately, the exchange did not lead to any further tension. The situation settled down immediately, and both teams continued the game in good spirit.
Rahmat Shah later played a fighting knock for Afghanistan. He scored 60 runs and hit nine fours and one six. However, his resistance ended when Manav Suthar dismissed him. The young spinner delivered an outstanding performance and finished with figures of 6/33.
India had earlier dominated with the bat. The hosts declared their first innings at 564/8. KL Rahul and Shubman Gill scored centuries, while Sai Sudharsan and Rishabh Pant contributed valuable 81-run knocks. For Afghanistan, Mohammad Saleem Safi was the standout bowler with six wickets.
India Take Complete Control Over Afghanistan’s lineup
Thanks to Suthar’s brilliant spell, Afghanistan were bowled out for just 152 runs. India decided to enforce the follow-on after securing a massive lead.
Prasidh Krishna and Washington Sundar also chipped in with wickets. Meanwhile, Siraj went wicketless in the innings despite bowling nine overs and conceding only 29 runs.
At the time of writing, Afghanistan had begun their second innings with openers Sediqullah Atal and Abdul Malik at the crease. India remained firmly in control as they pushed for a convincing victory.
