Mohammad Siraj Energizes Crowd at Leeds Test Match

India vs England: Test Match Update

In the ongoing first Test match between India and England at Leeds, the home team has taken a firm grip on the game. Both openers for England, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, are effectively handling the Indian bowling attack. Duckett has reached his century, while Crawley is supporting him with a solid half-century. The Indian bowlers appeared to be struggling, and the lack of noise from the fans was visibly affecting the morale of the Indian squad. Notably, Indian fast bowler Mohammad Siraj was seen rallying the crowd from the boundary, encouraging them to maintain their spirits, reminiscent of former captain Virat Kohli's never-give-up attitude on the field.

Confrontation and Record Opening Stand

During the lunch break on Day 5 of the Test, Siraj had a brief altercation with England's opener Ben Duckett. As Siraj charged towards the crease, Crawley diverted his attention from the ball, citing movement behind the sightscreen. Veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle quickly pointed out that there was no such movement, suggesting that Crawley was trying to buy time to prevent India from bowling another over before lunch.

Duckett and Crawley, who have amassed over 2000 runs together as Test openers, took full advantage of any loose deliveries, executing cuts, pulls, and drives with precision. Their partnership has gained momentum, scoring 96 runs in the first session after resuming from an overnight score of 21 without loss. This opening stand has set a new record for the fourth innings at Headingley, surpassing the previous record of 112 runs set by Verdun Scott and Bert Sutcliffe in 1949.