India’s rising star Mohammed Siraj feels one match doesn’t make him a bad bowler after an impressive show against Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Saturday. Siraj had an indifferent outing against Afghanistan, conceding 76 runs in the nine overs he bowled.
Furthermore, he went wicketless in his expensive spell on a flat pitch in Delhi. However, Siraj made an impressive return to form in the big clash against arch-rivals Pakistan as India registered a massive seven-wicket win. Siraj, who has been the most improved bowler, returned with figures of 2-50 in the eight overs he bowled.
The right-arm pacer accounted for Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique, giving the first breakthrough to India after the visitors’ decent start. Subsequently, he got the big wicket of a well-settled Pakistan captain Babar Azam after the latter had just got to his fifty. The Men in Green were cruising at 155-2 but Azam’s wicket triggered a collapse.
“When we go to the office you also have a day off – it cannot always be the same performance every time, the graph always comes down. So, I think to myself that I am not a bad bowler because of one match. I always keep my confidence high that my bowling is good and I should be the number one bowler.
“This confidence helps me in bowling and I can’t be a bad bowler if I lose a match. I have backed myself to do that. I have got the result today,” Siraj was quoted as saying in the post-match press conference.
Siraj took both wickets with a cross-seam delivery as he got the ball to move into the right-handers and the fast bowler also shed light on his planning.
“I started from the 3rd over. Because in the end, there could have been chances of reverse. Because when I was crossing the seam, it was coming easy on the bat. The batsman was not struggling. The ball was coming easy,” he stated.
“So, I thought, this wicket has a lot of cross-seam because it can be low, sometimes you get the extra bounce, so you get the bounce and if you get the wicket, that’s very good and you have seen the result,” Siraj added.
India will next take on Bangladesh at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune on Thursday.
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