Mohammed Siraj helped India wrestle back advantage in the third Test by running through England’s lower-order with figures of four for 84 on Friday as the visiting side slumped from overnight 207-2 to 319 all out in in Rajkot. Both Rehan Ahmed and James Anderson fell to inch-perfect Siraj yorkers.
“It was a pretty flat pitch. There wasn’t much pace in it,” Siraj said after the day’s play. “I had to resort to my variations, like the yorker, slower one. You’ve got to keep the batters guessing. I was able to execute the yorker perfectly, and we got a breakthrough as well. The momentum shifted after that. Getting a wicket with a yorker is a matter of pride for a quick. It was quite heartening.”
In the block-hole: Rehan Ahmed bowled through a yorker by Siraj in the third Test between India and England at the Niranjan Shah Stadium. | Photo Credit: ANI
Rohit Sharma’s field placements in this series have drawn criticism for being too reactive. But on the third day, the Indian skipper was quite imaginative, especially after Lunch, which doubled the pressure on the batting team. Siraj, who was getting the ball to reverse, threw light on the plans.
“The ball was reversing after Lunch and since there wasn’t much pace in the wicket, the edges were probably not going to carry to the slips. So, I was looking to bowl at the stumps and searching for lbws and catches on the leg side. We had catching midwickets and square leg fielder for that. Ben Foakes ultimately fell for that trap,” Siraj said.
On R. Ashwin’s absence, who has pulled out of the Test match due to a personal emergency, Siraj said, “I hope and pray his mother recovers soon. In Ashwin’s absence, there was more responsibility for the remaining four bowlers. Rohit Bhai had also told us that we would have to bowl long spells. I love bowling long spells because it’s difficult to set up a batter in three to four overs. I got the opportunity to bowl long spells today, and the resulting success made me happy.”
Ashwin on Friday had said that only the odd ball was turning sharply. He referred to the surface as a typical Rajkot wicket where the deviation was occurring at a slow pace. He anticipated that unless the cracks on the pitch opened up, it should continue to be favorable for batting. Meanwhile, Siraj weighed in on what lines he and his bowling partners will look to bowl on day four.
“I feel the ball will keep low on day four. The key will be attacking the stumps. There is no point in bowling outside the line of stumps. You’ll only hurt your own team.”
Asked about England’s brisk scoring rate on the second day, Siraj said, “To be honest, we didn’t bowl as badly as the Day 2 scorecard suggests. England were playing aggressively and scoring off the good balls as well.”
Siraj felt Joe Root’s dismissal early in the day was a turning point. Root was caught at slip trying to reverse scoop Jasprit Bumrah. His questionable shot selection drew plenty of criticism from former English players and the media. Root pre-empted the scoop and played it but failed to get the required elevation. Instead of clearing the cordon, the ball went to Yashasvi Jaiswal, who hung on to it nicely. Even Siraj was bemused by the timing of Root’s choice.
“The way Root and Ben Duckett were batting, had they carried on a little longer, things could’ve been difficult for us,” Siraj said. “Root played that shot out of the blue; the pitch wasn’t suitable for a stroke like that. So, it was a big wicket for us.”
Captain Ben Stokes made 41 and looked like he was weathering the storm in a combative stand with Ben Foakes. But then he became the first in a collapse of 5-29 after Lunch as England conceded a first-innings deficit of 126. “Stokes played that shot after the Lunch break and got out. We were all over England after that,” Siraj said.
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