Mohammed Siraj becomes fourth Indian in history of cricket to achieve this rare milestone

Team India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj has joined the elite list of Indian cricketers during the second of the ongoing three-match series against Sri Lanka. Mohammed Siraj has become the fourth Indian bowler to achieve this massive milestone with the new ball in the 50-over international format.

Sri Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka opted to bat first after winning the toss at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, August 4. The hosts made two changes to their playing XI as Kamindu Mendis and Jeffrey Vandersay returned to the lineup. India fielded the same playing XI from the previous game.

Mohammed Siraj Joins Elite List Of Indian Bowlers

Mohammed Siraj provided an early breakthrough for his team by dismissing Pathum Nissanka on the first ball of the match. Siraj bowled an outside off-stump delivery that seamed away and induced an edge off Nissanka’s defense. Rahul completed the catch, and Nissanka was dismissed for a golden duck.

After dismissing Pathum Nissanka, the 30-year-old pacer joined the elite list of D. Mohanty, Zaheer Khan, and Praveen Kumar. Siraj became the fourth Indian bowler to take a wicket on the first ball of an ODI match. Notably, Zaheer dismissed the opposition batter on the first ball four times in his career.

However, Mohammed Siraj failed to take any further wickets in his first spell. The right-arm pacer conceded 16 runs in his five overs during the powerplay. Sri Lankan top-order batters Kusal Mendis and Avishka Fernando guided the team to avoid losing any further wickets in the first 10 overs of the match.

The First ODI Between India And Sri Lanka Ended In A Tie

The first ODI of the ongoing three-match series between India and Sri Lanka ended in a tie at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday, August 2. The home team posted a competitive total of 230 runs for the loss of eight wickets in the allotted 50 overs. They scored 142 runs in the first 34.2 overs.

Dunith Wellalage top-scored for the Sri Lanka team, making 67 runs off 65 balls with the help of seven boundaries and two sixes. Pathum Nissanka added 56 runs off 75 balls, including 9 fours. For India, Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel picked up two wickets each while restricting the home team to 230 runs.

In response, the Indian team got off to a flying start. Skipper Rohit Sharma made the most of the field restrictions and scored 58 runs off 47 balls, including seven boundaries and three sixes. The Indian team lost wickets at regular intervals. They failed to score the final run and lost two wickets, resulting in a tie.

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