The Prime Minister XI vs India match, originally planned as a two-day warm-up game, was rescheduled to a 50-over-per-side format after rain washed out the entire first day. On the second day, India won the toss and invited the PM XI to bat. Mohammed Siraj gave India a fantastic start by dismissing opener Matt Renshaw in the 5th over of the innings. Before taking the wicket, Siraj’s hilarious comment was caught on the stump mic, and the video is now going viral.
During the over, Siraj was about to deliver a ball, but at the last moment, striker Matt Renshaw pulled out. This happened because a security guard appeared in front of the sight screen which distracted Renshaw. Siraj, who had completed his full run-up, was visibly frustrated about wasting his energy. While walking back, he humorously taunted the security guard, saying, “Ae bhai, garden me ghum raha hai kya?” (Hey brother, are you roaming in the garden?)
Team India and the word “garden” have quite a history now. It all started during India’s Test series against England in January, when Rohit Sharma humorously scolded his teammates for a lack of focus, saying “Garden mein ghoom rahe ho kya?” (Are you roaming in the garden?). This was picked up by the stump mic and quickly went viral.
— Sunil Gavaskar (@gavaskar_theman) December 1, 2024
Meanwhile, Siraj’s concentration remained intact, and just an over later, he dismissed Matt Renshaw, who was caught by Devdutt Padikkal. In his spell, Siraj bowled 7 overs, including a maiden, and took 1 wicket while conceding only 18 runs.
Harshit Rana was slightly expensive, conceding 44 runs in his 6 overs, but he made up for it by taking 4 wickets and remained the highest wicket-taker of the innings. His efforts played a key role in restricting the PM XI to 240 runs. When this article was posted India had yet to start their chase.
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After this warm-up match, the Indian team will depart for Adelaide, where the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will begin on December 6. India had secured a remarkable victory in Perth, so they might prefer sticking to the same side. However, one change is certain: Rohit Sharma will rejoin the team, which means either Devdutt Padikkal or Dhruv Jurel will have to be benched.
