Siraj is gonna give it back to Australia doubly in kind in Gabba: Sunil Gavaskar
Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar voiced strong support for pacer Mohammed Siraj, urging him to respond emphatically in the upcoming third Test against Australia in Gabba. Siraj, who faced heated exchanges with players and fans during India’s crushing defeat in Adelaide, has become a central figure in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The tension unfolded on Day 2 of the pink-ball Test in Adelaide after Siraj dismissed a rampaging Travis Head, who had already tilted the game in Australia’s favour with a blistering 140 off 141 balls. The dismissal led to a verbal spat between the two, requiring on-field umpires to intervene. However, the conflict escalated when Siraj came to bat as India’s No. 10, only to be targeted by a barrage of bouncers from Australian quicks Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc—a move widely seen as retaliation.
AUS vs IND, pink-ball Test Day 3 Highlights
Speaking exclusively to India Today, Gavaskar dismissed the controversy surrounding Australia’s use of bouncers against Siraj, noting that targeting tail-enders with short-pitched deliveries has long been a standard strategy in Test cricket. Instead, the former Indian skipper backed Siraj to channel the aggression constructively and return the favor by attacking Australia’s batters when the opportunity arises in Gabba.
“Siraj is a number 10 batter. No big deal. If somebody is bowling a bouncer, he is going to struggle. So you can’t really fault him for that. Whatever happened, clearly, I think the Australians are charged up. They were looking to get back at Siraj, but I don’t think is going to be bothered by that. When he has the ball in his hand in Gabba, he is going give it back to them doubly in kind,” Gavaskar said.
He also critiqued India’s bowlers for not employing a similar bouncer strategy against Travis Head, who has shown vulnerability to short-pitched bowling in the past.
“Well, I wish India could have done that with Travis Head. India bowled about four bounces to him. They bowled four bounces to a man who is reputed not to be comfortable against the bouncers. So it just tells you about the planning that the bowlers did, because if you bowled bounces to Head, maybe like we’ve been saying, the World Test Championship final 2023, the World Cup final, 2023. Everywhere we’ve not really tested him with the bouncer, at least till he gets to 25–30 runs. Maybe he might be able to go at it away for boundaries and six. Good luck to him. But if you get the right feel, then we might be able to do that,” he added.
India’s Struggles in Adelaide
India’s performance in Adelaide painted a grim picture. The bowling unit, which dominated in Perth, faltered this time, with only Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah making an impact. Siraj picked up 4/98 in the first innings but faced jeers from the crowd throughout the game. Meanwhile, Harshit Rana and Ravichandran Ashwin failed to trouble the Australian batters consistently.
India’s batting woes further compounded their defeat. Except 21-year-old Nitish Kumar Reddy, none of the Indian batters managed to cross the 40-run mark in either innings.
As speculation mounts about potential changes in India’s lineup for the Gabba Test, all eyes will be on Siraj to see if he can deliver a fitting response and help his team reclaim momentum in the series.
