The five-Test series against England was indeed a milestone moment in Mohammed Siraj’s career. With Jasprit Bumrah featuring in just three games following his recovery from back injury, Siraj stepped up as a leader of the fast bowling unit, threw workload management out of the window and bowled 185.3 overs in the series — 1,113 deliveries to be specific — and finished as the leading wicket-taker with 23 wickets.
And, two months later, as he returned to Test cricket, at home against the West Indies, those experiences of England helped him. He made the most of the wobble seam and claimed four wickets to bundle out West Indies for 162 in the first innings of the opening Test on Thursday.
Siraj admitted that while he could execute things as planned, previous experiences came in handy. “It was a very competitive series in England, and of course, I got a lot of confidence from it. To perform against a strong side gives a different kind of confidence and I had it today as well,” he said.
After returning from England, Siraj took a break for three weeks before resuming training. He eventually played the second unofficial Test against Australia A in Lucknow, where he claimed three wickets. “When you play after a long gap, you also learn about your rhythm. It was very hot in Lucknow, but I had a good preparation before the series. I followed up on my rhythm from the England tour, but I enjoyed this break which I got after several years,” he said.
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“We have played a lot of cricket in India in the Ranji Trophy and India A matches, so that remains in the back of the mind that we have played here since childhood which gives more confidence.”
With a tinge of green, the pitch favoured the fast bowlers early on, and Siraj was excited to bowl in such conditions. “I was very excited to bowl on this green-top wicket, something we don’t get very often in India in Test cricket. The last time we had such a wicket was against New Zealand in Bengaluru, so I was very excited to bowl on it,” he said.
“I had to work hard for these four wickets here as well. Even in England, I had to work hard to get wickets; it’s not the case that you can get wickets just like that. No one gave me the fifth wicket (today), I had to take all four with hard work,” Siraj said with a smile.
Published on Oct 02, 2025
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