Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra hailed Indian speedster Mohammed Siraj for taking responsibility as the primary bowler in the team to bowl out the West Indies team for just 255 runs in the 1st innings. The West Indian low-order batter found no clue to the fiery spell of the Indian pacer to the second new ball as they fell pack on the morning session of Day 4 at the Queen’s Park Oval.
Mohammed Siraj bowled with a lot of heart on Day 4 of the second test picking up 5 wickets for 60 runs in the 1st innings, as he took his second five-wicket haul in Test cricket, and the right-arm pacer troubled the West Indies batter with the second new-ball on Day 4 of the game.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra was awestruck by the performance of the Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj in the 1st innings, as he was leading the Indian pace attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami in the team as the other pacers Jaydev Unadkat and Mukesh Kumar has very less experience of International cricket.
“It is a flat pitch and in such a case if Mohammed Siraj comes and picks up five wickets, you need to sing his praises. We saw Siraj’s reign in Trinidad. We saw him becoming the leader of the pack.
“One is Jaydev Unadkat, who is playing just his fourth Test and has made a comeback to Test cricket after a very long time. The second is Mukesh Kumar, who is a debutant. You (Siraj) were given the responsibility and you were playing on a surface that did not offer much help,” Aakash Chopra said.
The 29-year-old is one of the mainstays in the Indian team especially in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and has impressed everyone with his bowling against West Indies in the 1st innings the bowler has done exceedingly well for the Indian in all three formats of the game.
The Intent To Bowl Makes A Huge Difference – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra said that Mohammed Siraj loves to bowl long spells in test cricket despite the surface of the game. The Indian bowlers did not have any assistance from the pitch at the Queen’s Park Oval, as the West Indies batter played decently on Day 3 but the Indian pacers bowled with a lot of intent to make a difference in the game.
“He is a bowler who likes to bowl. You will say everyone likes that – that’s not the case. Whether there is help from the pitch or not and even if he has bowled a long spell, when you look towards him, he says he will bowl. The intent to bowl makes a huge difference,” Aakash Chopra added.
Siraj has impressed one and all with his ability to make a difference irrespective of the conditions. He can swing and seam the new ball against high-quality opponents and would be a key player for the Indian team on the 5th day as they will look to white-wash the West Indies team on their home soil.