"Unbelievable...I love the spring in his legs": Tendulkar hails Siraj's approach, attitude

New Delhi [India], August 6 (ANI): Mohammed Siraj earned enormous praise for his stellar performance in the recently concluded Test series and his match-winning performance in the final game of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. The Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar also lauded the fast bowler for his infectious energy and never-say-die attitude.
Among all the bowlers on either side, it was Siraj who stood out for Tendulkar. He was the only bowler to feature in all five Tests and shouldered a massive workload, bowling 1113 deliveries, 361 more than any other bowler in the series. With 23 wickets to his name, Siraj finished as the leading wicket-taker, leading the attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah in two crucial matches.
"Unbelievable. Superb approach. I love his attitude. I love the spring in his legs," Tendulkar said on his official Reddit account in a video, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"For a fast bowler to be constantly in your face like that, no batsman will like it. And the approach he had till the end on the last day, I could hear commentators also saying he bowled around 90mph (145kph) on the last day after having bowled more than 1000 deliveries in the series. That shows his courage and big heart," he added.
"The way he started on the last day was remarkable and he has always been instrumental, playing a key role whenever we need him, whenever we want him to deliver that knockout punch, he's been able to do that consistently in the past, and so was the case in this series. The way he picked all those wickets and performed, he doesn't get the credit he deserves," he said.
While Player of the Match in the fifth Test, Siraj climbed 12 places to grab 15th spot in the latest ICC Men's Test Bowler Rankings, fellow pacer Krishna moved 25 places to rank 59th in the list after picking up eight wickets in the deciding Test, which India won by six runs.
During the series, Siraj took 23 wickets at an average of 32.43, with a six-wicket haul, a five-wicket haul and a four-wicket haul each to his name. His spell of 6/70 during the win at Birmingham was his best statistically. With his inspirational comeback spell at The Oval, which reduced England from 301/4 to 367/10 while pursuing 374 runs, Siraj ended the series with a five-wicket haul, converting naysayers into the believers of 'Miyan Magic'. (ANI)