Indian star's record-breaking stunt sparked epic Twitter meme fest

Indian star's record-breaking stunt sparked epic Twitter meme fest

Indian speedster Mohammed Siraj's historic bowling display against South Africa on the first day of the first Test in Cape Town sparked a frenzy of X-rated memes.

Indian speedster Mohammed Siraj's historic performance against South Africa on the first day of the first Test at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town sparked a meme fest of epic proportions on social media on Wednesday.

With his record bowling figures of 15/6, the Hyderabad-born pacer spearheaded a stunning South African batting collapse as the home side were bowled out for 55 – their lowest total in five-day format since their readmission to international cricket following the 1991 apartheid ban.

This is also the lowest total in a Test innings against India. Before the Mohammed Siraj-led demolition of South Africa, New Zealand held the record for the lowest number compared to India. The Kiwis combined for 62 at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium in a 2021 Test match.

Mohammed Siraj's superb nine-over spell, which resulted in a six-wicket haul, made him the second Indian bowler after Maninder Singh to pick up five wickets before lunch on the opening day of a Test match.

Left-arm spin bowler Maninder Singh achieved this milestone during a Test against Pakistan in Bengaluru in 1987.

Additionally, Mohammed Siraj became the first Indian bowler to take a fifer in a Test match since 2011. Additionally, he joined national teammate Jasprit Bumrah as the only bowler to take six wickets in a Test match since 2016.

The 29-year-old became the fifth fast bowler to score six wickets in a Test cricket session. The others are Trent Boult, Vernon Philander, Chris Woakes and Jasprit Bumrah.

His magical spell attracted mixed reactions with fans of the Indian team sharing funny memes and jokes about Mohammed Siraj's incredible performance against the South African team in Cape Town.

“Mohammed Siraj has great skills and a big heart, demonstrating a spirit of perseverance in the face of challenges. Please respect, miyan Mohammed Siraj,” tweeted former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif.

1983 World Cup winner Sunil Gavaskar credits his former colleague Kapil Dev with Mohammed Siraj's rise through the ranks of Indian cricket.

According to Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev inspired several generations of Indian cricketers to become fast bowlers in a country where the pitches were never conducive to fast bowling.

“All thanks to Kapil Dev. He showed that in India you don't need to be a spin bowler. Even on Indian pitches, someone can take wickets. Of course, when you go to wickets like South Africa, England, Australia and New Zealand, you will get more help as a new bowler. Since then, India has produced a number of fast bowlers,” the former Indian captain said on Star Sports.

“But especially in the last 10-12 years, thanks to the IPL, many fast bowlers have risen to prominence. India now have a fast bowling force that will likely be the envy of the cricketing world. Some are left-handed, some are right-handed, there is so much talent available if any of them want a break. You saw when Jasprit Bumrah was out, how the Indian bowlers came in and bowled. especially Muhammad Shami. I think it will be a tribute to Kapil Dev. I also think that for the first time in many years, India will win a match on their birthday, January 6,” added Sunil Gavaskar.

Speaking at the same event, former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar felt that Mohammed Siraj was the most improved bowler among the Indians when comparing their performances in the first Test.

“Not everyone can be as strong as Siraj and Mukesh Kumar because Bumrah knows he still has to get what they want. It's possible. But I think Siraj learned his lesson, the best of all the Indian bowlers because he stayed for a long time where you don't try to swing the ball and remained relentless, not trying too many things. “So the Indian bowler who learned the most from the last Test evening was Mohammed Siraj,” Sanjay Manjrekar said.

On the other hand, another retired Indian coach Irfan Pathan was impressed by Mohammed Siraj's bowling at the Newlands Stadium and hailed his plan to demolish South Africa.

“I have never seen a spell like Mohammed Siraj in my life. Mohammed Siraj definitely had better pace today. he is very sharp in his longer deliveries,” said Irfan Pathan.

“Siraj's outside movement worked very well today. On days when his swing works, Siraj's bowling is simply incredible. Bowling is non-stop. When he bowled his first pitch to Dean Elgar, it didn't go past the stumps. Siraj attacked the body, bowled a bouncer to him and just as Elgar went into his shell, he was knocked offside and forced Elgar into an error. The planning was incredible today,” concluded Irfan Pathan.

Mohammed Siraj's superb bowling performance also earned him a lot of praise from legends Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag.

“Siraj weaves magic in Newlands! Perfect length and superb display of bowling seams,” wrote Sachin Tendulkar on X, formerly Twitter.

“Miyaan magic. What a fate of Mohammed Siraj, one of the best you will ever see,” Virender Sehwag wrote on the microblogging platform.

Meanwhile, former Indian speedster Zaheer Khan has backed Mohammed Siraj to repeat his maiden bowling exploits.

Despite Mohammed Siraj's stellar performance with the ball, the Indian batsmen failed to take full control of the match after posting a low score of 153 in their first innings.

Except for valuable contributions from Virat Kohli (46), Rohit Sharma (39) and Shubman Gill (36), none of the other Indian batsmen succeeded. Therefore, India only managed to take a 98-run lead over South Africa in the first innings.

Surprisingly, the last six Indian wickets fell without contributing a single run – a huge collapse.

With the scoreboard reading 153/4, South African fast bowler Lungi Ngidi sent KL Rahul back to the pavilion. In the same section, Lungi Ngidi also scalped Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah.

In the next match, played by Kagiso Rabada, Virat Kohli and Prasidh Krishna departed, while Mukesh Kumar had to return to the dressing room after being exhausted.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that India's last six wickets fell like a pack of cards as the Rohit Sharma-led side lost them all in 11 deliveries without adding a single run to their total.

Additionally, South Africa finished the opening day of the second Test in Cape Town with a score of 62/3, 36 runs short of India's total in the first Test.

However, Zaheer Khan is confident that Mohammed Siraj will once again deliver the goods for Team India on day two.

“India must immediately end this partnership. You will also see more wickets tomorrow. The tone won't change much. Maybe Siraj can even use other mantras like today's mantra,” Zaheer Khan told Cricbuzz.

“If you look closely, in the last 3-4 years, the contribution from the lower strata of society has been good. Bumrah, Shami and Shardul Thakur have played impressive knocks in England. Even in Australia, the order groups lower order played a major role in India's victory. I think the top order batsmen should take more responsibility. Also, the lower order must take greater responsibility. India has an added advantage when playing with 5 bowlers. Since the Indian team management is making conscious efforts in this direction, the positive impacts outweigh the negative ones,” concluded the 2007 T20 World Cup winner.

Cheryl Tenny

"Thinker. Food advocate. Incurable coffee enthusiast. Communicator. Proud student. Zombie buff. Tv fanatic. Extreme troublemaker."

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