'He was equal to Virat': Gautam Gambhir's interesting take on 'Player of the Series' Award

India, led by former Indian skipper Virat Kohli, pulled off an enthralling victory in the third and final ODI of the series against the Dasun Shanaka-led Sri Lankan team. Virat Kohli was named Player of the Series for scoring two centuries in three ODIs. Former cricketer Gautam Gambhir doesn't believe that Virat Kohli was the only standout performer of the series. 

Mentioning Mohammad Siraj, the former cricketer said that the Indian pacer should have been rewarded in the recently-concluded series. The former opener thinks that Mohammad Siraj should have shared the Player of the Series award with Virat Kohli. While talking to Star Sports Gambhir explained why Mohammad Siraj was also the contender for the recently concluded series in Trivandrum. 

Gambhir praises Siraj 

Gambhir said, "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". 

Adding on Siraj's performance Gambhir said, "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 he was, especially with the new ball. In every game, he was able to set the tone". 

Siraj leads India to series win over Sri Lanka

While run machine Kohli's explosive 110-ball 166 helped India post a gigantic total of 390, the visitor's batting backbone was broken by pacer Mohammad Siraj as he managed to dismiss three Sri Lankan batsmen within the powerplay. The pacer picked up 4 crucial wickets as Sri Lanka were just bundled out for a mere score of 73. 

This helped India to win the final ODI in Trivandrum by 317 runs which was a record to win an ODI by the highest margin of runs. In total, Mohammad Siraj picked up nine wickets at an average of 10.22. The way Siraj bowled on difficult bowling tracks was worth watching and also the type of variations he has developed while bowling especially the inswinger he bowls with the wobbly seam is still a mystery. Siraj's performance is also a good sign for India keeping the 2023 ODI World Cup in mind.