On Sunday, Team India defeated Dasun Shanaka-led Sri Lanka in the third and final ODI of the three-match series, thanks to former Indian captain Virat Kohli. Due to his two hundred in three games, Kohli was named the Player of the Series. Though Kohli was chosen Player of the Series for his game-winning knocks, Gautam Gambhir, the former Indian cricketer, thinks that there were other outstanding players in the Sri Lanka ODI series.
Gambhir pointed out bowler Mohammed Siraj, saying that the Indian pacer deserved to be rewarded for his contribution to the just concluded series. The former opener for India believes that Siraj and Kohli should have shared the Player of the Series award. Gambhir expressed his opinions after India completed the three-match ODI series against the Lankans in Thiruvananthapuram and he highlighted the reason Siraj was also the front-runner for the player of the series award.
While talking to star sports, Gambhir said, “For me, I think he was on par with Virat Kohli. There should have been a joint Man of the Series because he was exceptional and these were beautiful batting wickets. I know we are always tempted towards batters getting big hundreds but I think Mohammed Siraj was absolutely exceptional too in this entire series.”
At the Greenfield International Stadium, fast bowler Siraj sparked with his ball and was the reason behind the batting collapse of the visitors. Run-machine Kohli led India to a big total of 390 at the loss of five wickets in the third ODI. As Sri Lanka crumbled for a meager 73 in 22 overs, Siraj grabbed four crucial wickets.
Gautam Gambhir further added, “I think the hallmark is, he will get many more five-fors, it’s not about that he didn’t get it today but how good he was, especially with the new ball. In every game, he was able to set the tone.”
Now India will take on New Zealand in a limited-overs series. Follow Cricinformer for all the latest news, cricket updates, toss updates, match summaries, records and stats, Fantasy Playing XI, probable playing XI, and all kinds of cricket events happening across the globe.
