On Sunday, Team India defeated Dasun Shanaka-led Sri Lanka in the third and final One Day International (ODI) of the three-match series with an undefeated victory thanks to former Indian captain Virat Kohli. Due to his two hundred in three games, Kohli was named the Player of the Series. Although Kohli was named Player of the Series for his game-winning hits, Gautam Gambhir, a former Indian cricketer, contends that there were other noteworthy players in the Sri Lanka ODI series.
Gambhir singled out bowler Mohammed Siraj, saying that the Indian pacer deserved to be compensated for his contributions to the just-finished series. The former opener for India believes that Siraj and Kohli should have split the Player of the Series honor. Gambhir expressed his opinions after India finished its whitewash of the tourists in Thiruvananthapuram and he outlined the reasons Siraj was also the front-runner for the special award. “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,” Gambhir told Star Sports.
At the Greenfield International Stadium, bowler Siraj precipitated the Islanders’ batting collapse while run-machine Kohli led India to a big total (390/5) in the third ODI. As Sri Lanka crumbled for a meager 73 in 22 overs, Siraj claimed four key wickets. “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 was he, especially with the new ball. In every game, he was able to set the tone,” Gambhir added. Siraj ended the series with the most wickets. In the three-match series, the hot Indian fast bowler took 9 wickets at an average of 10.22.
