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Watch: 'DSP' Mohammed Siraj On Duty, Inspects England Player's Bat In Leeds
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'DSP' Mohammed Siraj was captured inspecting Ollie Pope's bat during Day 2 of the Headingley Test.
Indian fast-bowler Mohammed Siraj brought back the 'DSP' jokes on Sunday by 'inspecting' England batter Ollie Pope's bat during the first Test between India and England at Headingley.
In a video posted by Star Sports on X, Pope's Gray-Nicolls can be seen leaning on the stumps during a drinks break on the second day of the Test. Siraj walked towards it, picked it up, took his guard and then checked it again before putting it back where it was. Watch the hilarious clip here:
Telangana state police force gave Siraj an honorary position of Deputy Superintendent of Police in October 2024, recognizing his achievements as a cricketer — a news that sparked several cricket memes. The humor has spilled to the cricket field, too, with crowds during IPL often chanting, 'DSP' when he's involved.
Siraj's off-day at Headingley
Pope troubled India with that bat on Saturday. The number three batter scored a quick 131-ball century with 13 fours to carry his bat at stumps. With support from Ben Duckett's 62 and Joe Root's 28, England ended the day solidly at 209/3, 262 runs behind India's first innings score of 471.
The visitors were not up to it from the start. A bit too aggressive batting in the lower order led to a collapse and what looked like a certain 500-plus score fell well short.
Then, they had good bowling conditions at the start of the second innings but took just one wicket, before allowing a 122-run stand between Pope and Duckett. All three wickets were taken by Bumrah (he could've had more if not for dropped catches and no-balls) in his 13 overs as other bowlers looked toothless and inconsistent.
Siraj bowled the most overs, 14, and showed heart and precision in some spells but lacked overall impact, making India look over-reliant on Bumrah again. As the second senior pacer, he'd want to put up a better show on Sunday as India aim to restrict England and take a first-innings lead.
First Published:
June 22, 2025, 08:11 IST
