WATCH: Mohammed Siraj knocks off Babar Azam with a beauty
Mohammed Siraj dismissed the Pakistani captain Babar Azam just after he reached his half-century in what was the fourth ball of the 30th over. Babar was looking in ominous touch and set to score big at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. However, Siraj cut his innings short before he could shift gears and tear apart the bowling attack.
After losing two quick wickets in quick time, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan steadied the Pakistani innings and formed a crucial partnership. They have been the saviour for some time and took matters into their hands again. While the duo didn’t bat as quickly as expected, they at least made sure to stable the innings.
Babar reached his fifty and looked comfortable on a track with fewer demons. The track requires a good first innings total to restrict an in-form Indian batting unit, and the experienced pair would have started to accelerate soon. Sensing this, Rohit brought Mohammed Siraj back to the attack to break the partnership before it became too good to split.
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Both Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are known to play long innings and score big hundreds. They had laid the foundation to explode. However, India managed to break the partnership just in time.
Mohammed Siraj knocks off Babar Azam just after his fifty
Babar Azam had just hit a boundary off Kuldeep Yadav to complete his fifty, and the lapse in concentration might have been a reason for this dismissal. Siraj bowled a good-length delivery just outside the off-stump line. Babar tried to manoeuvre it towards the third-man region with a deft touch.
However, the ball was too close to dab, and it also stayed a touch low and crashed the top of the off stump. It was a beautiful delivery, and Babar couldn’t control it properly. It was an unfortunate dismissal for Pakistan.
The whole team and packed ground went in jubilation. It was the biggest wicket of the Pakistani team. Siraj was brought for this reason, and he did his job.
Babar Azam walked back in disappointment. It was his maiden fifty against India, but he couldn’t convert it into a big score. It was Mohammed Siraj’s second wicket of the day.
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