Josh Hazlewood Heaps Praise On Mohammed Siraj Ahead Of WTC Final

Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood heaped praise on his Indian Premier League (IPL) teammate Mohammad Siraj for his recent performances for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2023.

This season Siraj was a completely different version of himself. His preciseness in the powerplay and exhibiting control over his line and length in the death was one of the most noticeable transformations he went through over the past year. As Hazlewood missed the majority of the IPL action due to an injury, Siraj did not let RCB feel his absence for a minute.

The 29-year-old was up to the mark competing in every single stat a bowler is eligible for.

"I was a bit late getting there (to RCB this year), but before then he was on fire," Hazlewood said as quoted by International Cricket Council (ICC).

"He is up there at the top of the wickets every time, and the economy rate was probably the thing as bowling at Chinnaswamy (RCB's home ground) is impossible sometimes and he was going at six or six-and-a-half an over," Hazlewood concluded.

Siraj will be in action against Australia in the upcoming World Test Championship 2023 final at the Oval, London from June 7.

Most of the Indian squad players arrived in the UK on Tuesday and they will be looking to grab hold of the opportunity and win the WTC Final. Last year, New Zealand defeated India in the final of the World Test Championship.

There are some players who could play a key role for the Indian team in their crucial match.

India's ace batter Virat Kohli will be the one to look out for, he has scored 8416 runs in 183 innings. His highest score 254 was against South Africa in 2019. He has scored 28 centuries and 28 half-centuries in Test format. His batting average is 48.93.

Cheteshwar Pujara, in Test format, has scored 7514 runs in 174 innings. His highest score was 206 against England in 2012. He has scored 19 centuries and 35 half-centuries. His batting average is 43.88.

In Test Cricket, Mohammed Siraj has taken 47 wickets in 18 matches. He has been one of the most influential emerging players in test cricket. The right-arm fast bowler has taken the most number of wickets against England. Siraj took 21 wickets against England. Against Australia, Mohammed Siraj got his first five-wicket haul in 2021. He has taken 14 wickets against Australia.

Umesh Yadav has taken 168 wickets in 110 in his Test career till now. Yadav has taken three five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket haul. In 2018, Umesh Yadav took a 10-wicket haul against West Indies. His best bowling figures were six wickets for 88 runs against West Indies.

Ravichandran Ashwin plays a very crucial role for India in the final against Australia. In Test format, his batting has been proven to be significant for India. In Test cricket, Ashwin has taken 474 wickets in 92 matches. He has taken 32 five-wicket hauls and seven 10-wicket hauls. In batting terms, Ashwin has scored 3129 runs in 131 innings. His highest score of 124 came against West Indies in 2016. He has scored five centuries and 13 half-centuries.

India squad: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Kishan (wk).

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (capt), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Steven Smith (vice-capt), Mitchell Starc, David Warner.