Mohammed Siraj vs Travis Head: India pacer ordered to fight with fire in Brisbane

Former Indian Head coach Ravi Shastri has come up with a suggestion for the Indian team and Mohammed Siraj going into the Brisbane Test against Australia. He wants the Rohit Sharma-led side to not hold back and fight with fire. 

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 is peaking as both India and Australia have played a terrific brand of cricket. While the competition has been high between bat and ball, players have engaged in some heated battles as well and this has raised the intensity of the series. 

All the eyes will be on Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head going into the Brisbane Test. The two were engaged in a verbal spat during the Adelaide Test, and with the way they were involved in a fight, it has become a massive topic of discussion in the media. 

The series between the two teams is levelled at 1-1, and the third game is all set to take place on Saturday (14th December). The match will be played at the Gabba in Brisbane, and with the way the last two games have panned out, it promises to be an exciting clash. 

Ravi Shastri took the side of Mohammed Siraj amid his battle with Travis Head, saying that it was a reaction from the fast bowler after getting hit for a six. While calling both players mature, he said: 

“I’m sure Siraj and Head are mature individuals who will deal with it and the dust would have settled already. If anything, I wouldn’t have expected anything else from a fast bowler after he’d been hit for a six. Siraj was letting off some steam. That’s the fast bowler’s temperament. You want it to be like that." He wrote in a column for CODE Sports. 

Do not hold back one bit - Ravi Shastri's message to India 

Ravi Shastri further said that when he was the Indian coach, he used to tell his players to not hold back. He urged the current team to not take a backward step and wants them to fight with fire. 

"When I was playing, my philosophy was to give it back as good as you get. And it’s exactly what I would tell my players when I was coaching India in Australia. Do not hold back one bit. 

“Do not take even one backward step. It then became the team’s philosophy and everyone from Virat Kohli to Rishabh Pant and every member of the squad was prepared to give it back to the Aussies.”

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