Home
India pacer Mohammed Siraj opened up on his stunning performance with the ball against England in the Oval Test. With the Three Lions leading the series at that time by 2-1, it was the 30-year-old's sensational spell of 5/104 that helped the Men in Blue in scripting a memorable 6-run victory and level up the five-match assignment at 2-2. Siraj feels that the Oval Test was "a script written for him from somewhere up there."
“It was a script written for me from somewhere up there. From getting bowled in Lords (the Test that India lost), then reaching the Oval. Then I took a catch (of Harry Brook) and touched the boundary," Siraj said, speaking to The Indian Express.
Siraj was about to miss Oval Test?
On the other hand, Siraj also revealed that he was given the choice to skip the Oval Test as he had bowled quite a lot of overs in the first four Tests. However, he chose to play as he was feeling completely fine. Jasprit Bumrah was also absent from the final Test and it could have beeen disastrous for India if their two main pacers would have not featured in such an important match. However, fortunately Siraj shrugged off all fitness concerns and rose to the occasion to become the match-winner for the team.
“Shubman Gill asked me, ‘Kaisi hai teri body?’ (How is your body?). I said, ‘Ekdum first-class’. He asked me if I would play. I said yes. He said, You are the main bowler for us, like Jasprit Bumrah, you decide," Siraj stated.
“I said I am available and am 100 per cent fit. I will give it everything. As for my body being tired, to be honest, I would have played one more Test if it were there. I did not feel tired," he added.
Meanwhile, Siraj finished the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy as the highest wicket-taker with a total of 23 scalps from nine innings. It was a fine performance from the 30-year-old, who very much carried India's bowling attack during Bumrah's absence.
Siraj's fantastic performance vs West Indies
He maintained this brilliant form when he recently came up against the West Indies batters in the first Test of the two-match series. Siraj finished the match with seven wickets under his name and played a key role in bundling out the opposition for 162 and 146 in the first and second innings respectively.
ADVERTISEMENT
