England vs India: Jonny Bairstow reacts to Mohammed Siraj’s silent send-off for him

Some high-quality Test cricket was witnessed during the opening Test between England and India at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham. With the track sporting a green sheet, fast bowlers of both teams had a party. At the same time, a few batters also showcased remarkable resilience and scored runs. Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj also enjoyed an impressive outing in the encounter.

The right-arm pacer made the red ball talk and took a total of three wickets in the game. Besides his brilliance with the red cherry, however, Siraj’s aggression also hogged a lot of limelight. A pumped-up Siraj, on multiple occasions, was seen exchanging verbal stuff with English players. He even gave a silent send-off to England batter Jonny Bairstow in the second innings.

It was a crucial wicket for India as skipper England Joe Root and Bairstow had added 42 runs for the fourth wicket. However, Siraj broke the partnership, dismissing Bairstow with the help of a brilliant short ball. As Bairstow’s innings ended at 30, Siraj celebrated by putting fingers on his lips.

Mohammed Siraj did not say anything to me: Jonny Bairstow

Speaking of the episode in the press conference, Bairstow said there wasn’t any verbal spat between him and Siraj. “There was absolutely nothing in there — he did not say anything to me, I did not say anything. Don’t think there was anything verbal specific,” Bairstow said.

Meanwhile, Bairstow is happy with his time in the Test team lately and he’s determined to enhance his performance further. “I spent a decent amount of time at the crease though I did not get big scores. If I keep doing what I was doing in those two innings, hopefully, I will do well.

Coming back to the first Test, the game ended in a draw all thanks to the rain. However, it must be noted that India dominated the major part of the contest. Virat Kohli’s men even needed just 157 runs in the final day with as many as nine wickets in hand. However, the weather gods came into the picture and not a single ball was bowled on the last day. The two cricket houses will now lock horns in the second Test of the five-match series at Lords’s, starting on Thursday (August 12).