Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has called for clear communication on Mohammed Siraj’s performances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

While Gavaskar is generally not in favor of resting players on major tours, he urged the team management to drop Siraj and provide honest and direct feedback on his performances, particularly after his display in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. .

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Although Siraj claimed 13 wickets in the seven innings of the series, his lack of control and inability to make an impact with the new ball raised concerns. The Hyderabad fast bowler struggled to match the heroics of his previous tour and failed to provide the necessary support to Jasprit Bumrah.

Despite his disappointing performances, Siraj was retained for the crucial Boxing Day Test. However, he failed to impress in the first innings of the Melbourne Test, and his aggression did not translate into effectiveness.

Gavaskar calls for brutal honesty with Siraj, suggests changes in India’s attacking pace

Speaking on Star Sports, Sunil Gavaskar suggested that Mohammed Siraj may need to be dropped due to his poor performance, and stressed the importance of being brutally honest with players rather than using terms like “rest”, which could cause misunderstandings.

“I think Siraj, maybe, needs a little break. In that sense, I am not saying a break, we must tell him that he is left out of the team for non-compliance. There has to be a situation where you can’t beat around the bush. You have to be brutally direct and say ‘look, your performance hasn’t been up to par and therefore they’re going to write you off’. When you start talking about “rest”, players make mistakes. They feel they don’t need to improve their game,” Sunil Gavaskar told Star Sports.

Sunil Gavaskar emphasized that Siraj must be clearly told that his performance has not lived up to expectations, especially on pitches that have been favorable to fast bowlers.

“But I think Siraj needs to be told ‘look, you’re not bowling as well as we expected on pitches that have been useful’. That’s something that needs to be said, he added.

The former Indian cricketer suggested that if India wants to make changes, Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana could be brought in to support Jasprit Bumrah.

“If you want to make two changes. Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana to support Jasprit Bumrah. Of course, do it,” he further added.

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Australia sets solid total, India struggles to respond

In the morning session, Steven Smith anchored the Australian innings with a brilliant century, while Pat Cummins chipped in with a valuable 49, helping Australia reach a commanding total of 474.

India fought back in the afternoon, with Ravindra Jadeja and Akash Deep claiming crucial wickets, including Smith’s for 140.

India’s response faltered soon, with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul dismissed cheaply. Jaiswal (82) and Kohli (36) looked promising but a mix-up led to Jaiswal being left without a team and Kohli followed soon after. India ended the day at 164/5, with Rishabh Pant and Jadeja at the crease.

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