
Joe Root Calls Out Mohammed Siraj's 'Fake' Angriness: 'I Can See Straight...'
Joe Root can see 'straight through' Mohammed Siraj 'fake angriness' but knows he's a bowler everyone would like on their team.
Joe Root sees 'straight through' Mohammed Siraj. The England batting superstar on Sunday called Siraj a 'character, warrior' who players would love to have on their side, but also cheekily pointed to how the pacer has a 'fake angriness' to him, where he tries too hard to pump himself up artificially.
Root's comments came after Siraj's excellent spell on the fourth day of the Oval Test. In an England innings where Root scored a magnificent 105, Siraj picked up two wickets and bowled the most overs — 26. Despite India's dire situation in the defense of 374 — England were 301/3 at one stage — and obvious fatigue having bowled in all five Tests, Siraj didn't let his energy down. England were reduced to 339/6 at early Stumps.
'He's a character, a warrior, he's a real warrior," Root said in the press conference after the day's play. 'He's someone that you want on your team; he's that kind of character. He gives everything for India, and credit to him for that, the way he approaches cricket. He's got this, like, fake angriness about him sometimes, which I can see straight through. He's actually a really nice lad, but he tries it incredibly hard. He's a very skillful player; there's a reason why he's got all those wickets."
Root went on to call the Indian quick a 'great example' for youngsters.
'It's because of his work ethic and skill level. I enjoy playing against him. He's always got a big smile on his face, and he'll give everything for his team. So I guess you couldn't want anything more of that as fan watching, and he's a great example to any young players starting out."
England need 35 runs on the final day with four wickets in hand and Root is confident.
'I was really frustrated because I missed out, it was really disappointing to not still be there tonight and get us over the line. But we are still in a really good position, a lot of batting left and the two guys out there are very capable of seeing us home. It has been one hell of a series, one hell of a journey and we have the confidence in our dressing room," he said.
view comments
First Published:
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hans India
12 minutes ago
- Hans India
Hockey India names 24-member men's hockey team for tour of Australia
India, on Monday, included young defender Poovanna CB in the 24-member men's hockey team to be led by ace drag flicker Harmanpreet Singh for the four-match Tour of Australia, starting August 15 in Perth. The assignment will serve as an exposure tour for the team ahead of the all-important Asia Cup at home in Rajgir from August 29, which is also a World Cup Qualifier. "We are heading to Perth Australia to sharpen up ahead of the Asia Cup in Bihar. The focus will be on improving our physical conditioning and technical execution through quality training and warm up matches," chief coach Craig Fulton said. Fulton also spoke about testing youngsters in the squad and giving them the exposure ahead of important outings. "We have brought in some younger players to give them valuable exposure and test combinations under pressure. This camp is a key part of our preparation and a chance to build individual and team momentum before competing at home. The team will feature Krishan Pathak and Suraj Karkera as goalkeepers while Sumit, Jarmanpreet Singh, Sanjay, Amit Rohidas, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Jugraj Singh and Karnataka's Poovanna will take care of the defence. Talented young midfielder Rajinder Singh, who is often likened to stalwart former India captain Sardar Singh, has been named in the squad as a midfielder along with Raj Kumar Pal, Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem, Vishnu Kant Singh. While Mandeep Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Selvam Karthi and Aditya Lalage are the forwards. The Indian team will leave for Australia on Friday from Bengaluru where they are currently training at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) campus. Squad ==== Goalkeepers: Krishan B Pathak, Suraj Karker. Defenders: Sumit, Jarmanpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (C), Sanjay, Amit Rohidas,Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Jugraj Singh,Poovanna C. Midfielders: Rajinder Singh, Raj Kumar Pal Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem, Vishnu Kant Sing. Forwards: Mandeep Singh, Shilanand Lakra Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Dilpreet Singh,Selvam Karthi Aditya Lalage.


India Today
12 minutes ago
- India Today
Harry Brook's ton draws Rishabh Pant comparison: Impactful and their bats go flying
Former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja praised England's Harry Brook for his fearless knock on Day 4 of the final Test against India at the Oval on Sunday, August 3. He compared the 26-year-old's approach to that of India's very own Rishabh Pant. Brook's 98-ball 111 in the second innings helped the hosts reach the brink of a win, thereby taking a 3-1 series on Sony Sports after the day's play, Jadeja highlighted the similar impact both Brook and Pant have had in pressure situations, pointing out how such players may not deliver every time but always leave their mark when they do.'Such players might not score runs every time, but when they score runs, they leave a massive impact. He reminded me of Rishabh Pant today. There was one thing common between him and Rishabh Pant. Both are impactful, and their bats go flying. Their styles are similar, so their mistakes and impact will also look similar,' Jadeja said. Brook came to the crease when England were under pressure and immediately took the attack to the Indian bowlers. His stroke-filled innings turned the tide of the match in England's favour, and Jadeja appreciated his aggressive mindset from the first ball.'At the start, he dominated and put the pressure that was on them back on the bowlers. Then, as soon as the atmosphere cooled slightly and they gained control, he kept playing in his own style, and his partnership with Joe Root left England on the threshold,' he and Root's batting partnership stand took England to 339/6 at stumps, needing just 35 more runs to clinch the match and the series. It wasn't just the runs that impressed Jadeja; it was also the way Brook played them.'Brook remains the same. He doesn't change his game. Washington Sundar left him standing halfway down the pitch in the last match. This is the thing with these players. They might not be as consistent as Joe Root every day, but a team needs them too. In difficult circumstances, only mavericks come in handy,' Jadeja also pointed out how Brook's unique scoring pattern made him stand out amongst modern batters. According to Jadeja, the Yorkshire batter has a distinct wagon wheel and often favours the leg side, while also stepping out against seamers and playing through the off side.'The pressure they faced in the last half an hour, if they had to play for half an hour like that when 250 runs were required, the bowlers would always have hope. He broke the bowlers' hopes in that half an hour, and then we kept waiting for the next two hours, as to what would happen now,' he Brook walks back after a stunning ton #SonySportsNetwork #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia #ExtraaaInnings Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) August 3, 2025Ironically, Brook's innings came to an end in a fashion that mirrored Pant while attempting a big shot, he lost grip of his bat and was caught by Mohammed Siraj at deep midwicket off Akash Deep's bowling. The dismissal brought back clear flashes of Pant's trademark risk-taking Brook's dismissal, England lost two more wickets in Jacob Bethell and Joe Root, giving India a slight opening ahead of Day 5. But Brook's sparkling hundred may have already done enough to swing the match in England's favour.- EndsMust Watch


Time of India
15 minutes ago
- Time of India
Hockey India names 24-member men's hockey team for tour of Australia
New Delhi, India, on Monday, included young defender Poovanna CB in the 24-member men's hockey team to be led by ace drag flicker Harmanpreet Singh for the four-match Tour of Australia, starting August 15 in Perth. The assignment will serve as an exposure tour for the team ahead of the all-important Asia Cup at home in Rajgir from August 29, which is also a World Cup Qualifier. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Data Science Leadership Management MCA Design Thinking Public Policy Healthcare Project Management MBA Artificial Intelligence Data Science Operations Management Degree Others Product Management CXO Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months IIT Madras CERT-IITM Advanced Cert Prog in AI and ML India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months IIM Kozhikode CERT-IIMK DABS India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months E&ICT Academy, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati CERT-IITG Prof Cert in DS & BA with GenAI India Starts on undefined Get Details "We are heading to Perth Australia to sharpen up ahead of the Asia Cup in Bihar. The focus will be on improving our physical conditioning and technical execution through quality training and warm up matches," chief coach Craig Fulton said. Fulton also spoke about testing youngsters in the squad and giving them the exposure ahead of important outings. "We have brought in some younger players to give them valuable exposure and test combinations under pressure. This camp is a key part of our preparation and a chance to build individual and team momentum before competing at home. Live Events The team will feature Krishan Pathak and Suraj Karkera as goalkeepers while Sumit, Jarmanpreet Singh, Sanjay, Amit Rohidas, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Jugraj Singh and Karnataka's Poovanna will take care of the defence. Talented young midfielder Rajinder Singh , who is often likened to stalwart former India captain Sardar Singh, has been named in the squad as a midfielder along with Raj Kumar Pal, Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem, Vishnu Kant Singh. While Mandeep Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Selvam Karthi and Aditya Lalage are the forwards. The Indian team will leave for Australia on Friday from Bengaluru where they are currently training at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) campus. Squad Goalkeepers: Krishan B Pathak, Suraj Karker. Defenders: Sumit, Jarmanpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (C), Sanjay, Amit Rohidas,Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Jugraj Singh,Poovanna C. Midfielders: Rajinder Singh, Raj Kumar Pal Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem, Vishnu Kant Sing. Forwards: Mandeep Singh, Shilanand Lakra Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Dilpreet Singh,Selvam Karthi Aditya Lalage.