Mohammed Siraj has one muscle bigger than anybody else’s, and that’s his heart: Varun Aaron

Former Indian pacer and commentator Varun Aaron has heaped praise on the Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj, who scalped a four-wicket haul on Day 2 in the first innings of the Oval Test against England.

While English batters looked all set for a huge lead in the first innings at 92/0 in 12.5 overs, the pace trio of Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna turned the tables to bundle them out for 247 runs.

Siraj, who played a crucial role with the ball in hand, scalped the big wickets of Ollie Pope (22), Joe Root (29), Harry Brook (53) and Jacob Bethell (6) to turn the game upside down as England managed only a small lead.

"That’s because Mohammed Siraj has one muscle bigger than anybody else’s, and that’s his heart. Siraj has a big heart. And with a heart like that, you can push through pain, push through fatigue, and deliver spells like this. An eight-over burst in the fifth Test, bowled at that intensity, he was touching 140 kph throughout. Watching him charge in was a sight for sore eyes. It was beautiful," Aaron told JioHotstar.

"As a fast bowler watching another fast bowler putting in the hard yards, knowing exactly what’s at stake in a match like this, it was truly inspiring. That was a brilliant spell by Siraj,” he added.

Furthermore, Varun Aaron also hailed Prasidh Krishna, who also scalped an exceptional four-wicket haul, giving an exceptional assistance to Siraj from the other end. Notably, Siraj and Prasidh collectively took eight wickets between them.

"We absolutely cannot leave Prasidh Krishna out of this conversation. Those two wickets he picked up in the final over of the second session were crucial, especially with Siraj having just completed an exhausting eight-over spell, and Akash Deep already past the 15-over mark," Aaron stated.

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