ENG vs IND 2025: 'I want England bowlers to follow Mohammed Siraj's diet' - David Gower in awe of Indian pacer's resilience

Former England captain David Gower has been left in awe of Mohammed Siraj's never-say-die attitude during the recently-concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. The Hyderabad pacer played all five Tests and bowled every spell with the same determination and commitment.

Siraj finished the series as the highest wicket-taker, having taken 23 wickets from five Tests at an average of 32.43. The right-arm speedster's five-wicket haul in the fourth innings of the fifth and final Test match at The Oval helped India eke out a six-run win to level the series 2-2.

Gower was taken aback by Siraj's fitness and persistence across the five matches and even suggested that the England bowlers should follow his diet.

"I would love to know what he takes, what he eats and what he drinks because I want to give all that to England's bowlers. For Siraj, one of the things that struck me was he has played all five Tests and was unstinting. Yet, he bowled more than 30 overs in that England second innings (Oval) because seamers had to bowl in those conditions. And he never gave up. He never stopped and never seemed to wilt," Gower told The Free Press Journal.

"That's an extraordinary testament to his determination to win and fitness. The thing that struck me was England's bowling has had problems over the last few years in keeping people fit and on the field. So, you rarely get the same attack coming out game after game and yet, here was a man who played all five Test matches, finished bowling 30 overs in the final innings of the series and loved it," he added.

Siraj led the bowling attack, especially in the second and fifth Tests in Birmingham and London, where the talismanic Jasprit Bumrah wasn't available. The 31-year-old was constantly in the ears of youngsters like Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna, offering them valuable inputs on how to achieve the best results.