Mohammed Siraj picked up two big wickets in the England batting line-up and one of them was their skipper Joe Root. The English skipper has already hit a double hundred in the first Test but since then has tapered off a bit. On the first morning of the fourth Test, he first dismissed Joe Root and then Jonny Bairstow to peg England back after they won the toss and bated first. They were bowled out for 205 in the best batting conditions and since then has been chasing the game.
Mohammed Siraj, after the day’s play, explained how he set up the England skipper and finally dismissed him cheaply.
Mohammed Siraj Explains Joe Root’s Dismissal
“My plan for Root was to set him by bowling outside the off-stump and then bowl one inswinger. And when the ball was going wide of him, I thought my plan is working. Then in the next over I thought of bowling him an inswinger and got him out,” said Siraj during the virtual press conference after the end of the first day’s play.
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Mohammed Siraj then explained how he dismissed Jonny Bairstow ad well. Bairstow had bagged a pair in the third Test and scored 28 in the first innings of the fourth Test.
“It was my first ball for him (Bairstow). And I had watched many videos of him getting out to inswing so my plan was to bowl a similar length,” said Siraj.
Siraj spoke very highly of his captains Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli under whom he has played so far. Siraj was India’s senior-most bowler when India won the fourth Test at The Gabba.
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“Captain’s backing is very important as whenever a skipper shows faith in a player it enhances his performance. Whenever a player is backed his performance goes up to another level. It motivates me as a player to perform well for the team. “I want to grab all the opportunities that come my way. After my poor performance in ODI and T20I, I want to perform well in Test cricket,” he added” said Siraj.
