After his great performance against South Africa on the first day of the second Test on December 3, India’s Mohammed Siraj, a speedster, voiced his surprise at the Newlands field. In a historic milestone, India lost their last six wickets without contributing any runs, collapsing to 153 all out on the day after a stunning 23-wicket collapse.
After his impressive performance, Siraj spoke with India’s bowling coach, Paras Mhambrey and expressed his shock at the way things went down. He said that it didn’t look like a 55 all-out surface and gave credit to Jasprit Bumrah, his pace partner, for the steady pressure he applied from the other end.
“It didn’t seem like a 55-all-out wicket when I first viewed the pitch in the morning. Since it was rather sunny, I didn’t think the pitch would help all that much. Moreover, bowling is a cooperative sport. At the opposite end, Jasprit Bumrah was exerting constant pressure. As Siraj stated in a video that was posted on the BCCI’s official website, “He didn’t get many wickets, but he created a lot of pressure.”
“Bowlers often think, ‘Let me try and bowl an outswinger darting from leg to off or get one to bend back from angle, but one should just stick to one line,’ on these wickets where the ball is doing so much.” Hitting places will immediately result in wickets. Trying too many things can lead to confusion,” he continued.
Mohammed Siraj throws off South Africa’s batting order
The 29-year-old gave an absolutely astounding performance. With an astonishing 6-wicket haul at a cost of just 15 runs, he upended the South African batting order with his devastating pace and accuracy. The hosts collapsed for just 55 runs in their opening innings, their lowest Test total against India, thanks in large part to his outstanding bowling.
David Bedingham was the only other batsman to score in double digits (12 runs), with Kyle Verreyne’s 15 being the highest score for South Africa in their disastrous opening inning. Jasprit Bumrah and Mukesh Kumar, who each took two wickets and increased the pressure by challenging the South African lineup even more, were on par with Siraj in terms of skill.
India
