With India now in a must-win situation to keep their hopes alive for a first Test series win in England in 18 years, fast bowler Mohammed Siraj admitted he is still heartbroken over the narrow 22-run loss at Lord’s ahead of the crucial fourth Test at Old Trafford, starting July 23.Siraj, alongside Ravindra Jadeja, was fighting hard during the final session of Day 5, inching closer to the target before an unfortunate moment saw him defend a delivery from Shoaib Bashir, only for the ball to roll back onto the stumps and dislodge the bail.“I had taken the final wicket in 2021 as well. I am a very emotional person; it could have been 2-1. Jaddu bhai fought very hard. But then I said to myself that the series is not over and I will work on my batting. We kept working hard on our batting since Australia. The 22-run loss was heartbreaking,” Siraj said during the pre-match press conference.Reflecting further on the dismissal, Siraj said the result might have been different had luck favoured them in that moment.
“To middle the ball and still get bowled, the way we were batting together, I was feeling confident and thought I will not get out today. But it was unlucky and it was heartbreaking because the result could have been entirely different,” he added.The dramatic Test at Lord’s also saw emotions boil over, with Siraj’s aggressive approach in the final innings drawing attention — especially his exchanges with England’s batters, including a pointed jibe at Joe Root.“There are no plans regarding this. When you are bowling, you are in another zone; your focus is on taking wickets, so you don’t know what you say. You want to divert the batter — like when I asked Root, ‘Where is the Bazball?'”When asked whether he’ll continue with the same fiery energy in the fourth Test, Siraj responded without hesitation: “yes.”
