Star Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj revealed that Abdullah Shafique’s dismissal in the game was the result of meticulous planning between him and skipper Rohit Sharma. The right-arm pacer plotted the wicket of Pakistan’s opener by bowling short before getting him trapped in front of the wickets in the game.
In the game against Sri Lanka, Pakistan overcame a rough start, Abdullah Shafique played only his fifth ODI game has exhibited startling maturity. Along with Mohammad Rizwan, they helped Pakistan to come back into the game, to chase down the record total, and started well against India in Ahmedabad before being dismissed by Mohammed Siraj in the match.
Speaking on the Post-match conference, Mohammed Siraj said that he planned the wicket of Abdullah Shafique with the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma in the game, which eventually helped them to pick up his wicket in the crucial time and was happy with the team’s bowling performance so far in the tournament.
“Abdullah Shafique’s wicket was a plan because I had spoken to Rohit Bhai – I had bowled a bouncer to him before but he got stuck in the middle. Then I talked to Rohit for a while and spent some time there. He thought I was going to bowl bouncer again. He was on backfoot and I pitched the ball up and got a success.”
“You see, our bowling unit is doing so well from the last three matches. It’s not like only one person is performing. Overall, the bowling unit is performing well. If you don’t get a wicket, you’re building pressure and putting in a dot ball. In this, the team will get the success, and the team will get the help,” Mohammed Siraj said.
Mohammed Siraj was expensive in the powerplay before he pulled back the game arch-rivals against Pakistan picking up the crucial wickets of Abdullah Shafique and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam in the game, which opened the doors for the other bowlers to run through the batting lineup Pakistan in Ahmedabad.
When Jasprit Bumrah Bowls, You Can See What Line Is Better On The Wicket – Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Siraj said that usually picks up the idea from Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling upfront in the innings, which gives an idea about the better line and length to bowl on the particular wicket, and asserted that he also gets information from the Wicket-keeper on how to bowl according to the pitch conditions.
“When Jassi (Jasprit Bumrah) bowls the ball – you can see what line is better on the wicket. When you’re on the third man and the final leg, you get to see the line and get some information from the keeper that this line is better on the wicket. So, it becomes easier to execute,” Mohammed Siraj added.
The Men in Blue bowlers have been fantastic throughout the ODI World Cup 2023 picking up wickets in the crucial moments and the team would be riding high on confidence after the hat-trick in the marquee event and would look to continue their fine form going forward in the tournament.
