Mohammed Siraj stars with four-fer ahead of New Zealand ODIs
What's the story
Star Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj put on a stellar performance in Hyderabad's 2025/26 Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Bengal on Tuesday. Siraj was the standout player as he helped Hyderabad claim a whopping 107-run victory with his four-wicket haul. The match saw Aman Rao Perala score a double-century and Rahul Gahlaut contribute with a half-century, taking Hyderabad to an impressive total of 352/5 in their allotted overs. Siraj later delivered a fine opening spell for Hyderabad.
Opening spell
Fiery opening spell
In response to Hyderabad's massive total, Bengal struggled to get off the blocks as Siraj opened with a fiery spell. He first got rid of Sumit Nag in the third over and then claimed the big wicket of in-form Abhimanyu Easwaran (15) in the fifth over. Siraj then sent Sudip Gharami back on the very next delivery, leaving Bengal reeling at 38/3.
Finish
Siraj's relentless attack dismantles Bengal
Despite Siraj's early onslaught, Bengal found some stability with Anustup Majumdar and Shahbaz Ahmed. The duo took Bengal past 100. However, Majumdar fell a few overs after completing his half-century, ending a 97-run stand and leaving Bengal at 147/5. Even as wickets kept falling from one end regularly, Shahbaz continued to score runs. Siraj picked up his fourth wicket of the day, dismissing Rohit Kumar. He finished his 10-over spell with impressive figures of 4/58.
Form
Siraj shines ahead of NZ ODIs
Siraj fine-tuned ahead of the impending three-match ODI series against New Zealand, starting January 11. He is expected to lead India's pace attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. According to ESPNcricinfo, Siraj recorded his fifth four-wicket haul in List A cricket. He now has 159 wickets from 94 matches at 23.23. Notably, 73 of his wickets have come in 47 ODIs for Team India.