With India and England's 3rd Test evenly balanced at lunchtime, with the home team reading 83/2, Ravi Shastri decided, well, let's have some fun, and play started again in the second session. There is often a great deal of composure and patience in test matches. Consequently, the commentators are not always required to cover the situation on the ground. Frequently, in order to maintain the attention of themselves and the audience, they have a tendency to stray somewhat, and for good reason. When Shastri playfully referred to one of India's pacers as a "joker," that's precisely what he did.

When the England batter played a ball onto Mohammed Siraj's pads, the conversation started when he ran at Ollie Pope. Seeing the chance of a wicket, Siraj dashed towards the batsman as the ball became lodged between his right pad and leg, but Pope, who was aware of the situation, grabbed the ball and held it on the ground. "Mohammed Siraj is a bit of a character. He charged directly at the batter."

At that point, Shastri's fellow commentator Michael Atherton inquired about Siraj's demeanor in the locker room. Does he talk a lot? Is he a prankster? “Or someone who sits quietly?” Pat responded, "Oh, he's a joker," and Shastri continued, "And he is not poking fun." He is still being made fun of by others. Or provoking him. And he falls for it.

Each club needs a personality in the locker room to boost morale. The days of a test match may be quite stressful. Although players frequently sit quietly, lost in their own thoughts, they still need someone to cheer them up. Siraj, Atherton said, is one of those personalities, and they had Darren Gough playing that role.

'The dressing room saw a lot of laughter'

"He and [Rishabh] Pant are like that," Shastri said. Particularly after he became the Deputy Superintendent of Police. That changing area had a chuckle. “Ok, wait till you come to Hyderabad, I will sort you out,” Siraj had to say.

In addition, Shastri praised Siraj for his outstanding bowling throughout the current Test series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Following just two wickets in the first game in Leeds, Siraj improved his performance in Jasprit Bumrah's absence at Edgbaston, taking six wickets. Siraj's 6/70 was instrumental in giving India a commanding lead, which Shastri rightly praised.

The former India coach said, "Bowled brilliantly in Edgbaston. Six wickets there, and even today, he is working hard."

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