Former Australia captain Mark Taylor expressed his concerns about Mohammed Siraj’s habit of making “celebrappeals” without consulting the umpires. This behavior became controversial following a heated altercation between Siraj and Travis Head during the Adelaide pink-ball Test. As a result, Siraj was fined 20% of his match fees, and both players received a demerit point.
In the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Siraj has assumed twice that an LBW decision would be given in his favor. For instance, in Adelaide, he believed Marnus Labuschagne was out. However, replays later showed a significant inside edge, proving Siraj’s assumption wrong.
Mark Taylor criticized Siraj’s approach, emphasizing that it disrespects the umpires. “My biggest concern with Mohammed is this desire to assume that umpires are going to give dismissals,” he said. Taylor added, “I don’t like him running down the pitch when he hits a guy on the pads, going past the batsman, assuming he’s going to be given out, without showing respect to the umpire and the game to at least have a look at the decision.”
Furthermore, Taylor disapproved of the send-off Siraj gave to Travis Head after dismissing him. Siraj’s gesture, including a signal to the dressing room, led to the ICC docking his match fees. Taylor explained, “I love the combative nature of Head and Siraj, but it has to be kept in check.” He cautioned, “The last thing we want to see is that developing into a batsman maybe whacking a bowler.”
However, despite the earlier tension, Siraj and Head appeared to have resolved their differences after the Adelaide Test. The two were seen exchanging pleasantries following Australia’s victory.
In defense of Siraj, India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, backed the pacer’s aggressive style. “He likes to get into the battle. It gives him success. As a captain, it is my job to back that aggression,” Rohit said. He also acknowledged the fine line between aggression and overstepping boundaries, noting, “There is a fine line we don’t want to cross anything that can bring the dispute into the game, but having a word or two with the opposition is not a bad thing, and he likes it. That’s what gets him going.”
