• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

IND vs SA 2nd Test: India pacer Mohammed Siraj wreaked havoc on South African batters on the opening day of the second Test as he returned with the figures of 6-15 from nine overs to bundle out hosts for 55 at Newlands in Cape Town on Wednesday. Siraj's consistent ability to seam the ball out from the batters from good areas yielded results for the Hyderabadi fast bowler.

In the first Test of the series in Centurion, Siraj was only able to get two wickets in South Africa's only innings in the match. But in bright sunny conditions in Cape Town, Siraj made the ball talk and pushed South Africa to backfoot early in the day.

Shedding light on his game plan for the opening session, Siraj said he learnt from his mistakes in the last match and hit the right area consistently.

ALSO READ | ICC Test Rankings: Virat Kohli Jumps Four Places To Return To Top 10

“I realised what I missed in the last game and wanted to compensate and I executed my plans accordingly. I wanted to hit one area consistently and I did that and got reward for it. Wicket looks quite similar to Centurion,” Siraj said at the end of the day's play.

The 29-year-old added that bowling maiden overs along with Jasprit Bumrah also helped him get regular wickets.

“We (him and Jasprit Bumrah) bowled in partnerships and bowled many maidens unlike last Test match. Bowling so many maidens did create pressure," he added.

ALSO READ: Simon Katich Feels Sandpaper Gate Will Restrict Retiring David Warner From Gaining 'Full Respect' From Public

When one gets a track as spicy as Newlands, a fast bowler's excited mind can get cluttered and that's what one needs to control, feels Siraj.

Siraj said on wickets like Newlands, the bowler should not try to do different things and just stick to bowling to the right areas.

“On these wickets, where ball is doing so much, often bowlers tend to 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," the pacer asserted.

"If you hit areas, wickets will come automatically, if you try many things, you yourself can get confused,” he added.

Siraj further thanked Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul for constantly giving him advice in between the overs.

“When senior bowler is operating and there is wicketkeeper who advises you on what is the correct length, job becomes easier as there is lot of communication. When you are hit for 4-5 boundaries, you know what length to switch to,” he said.

“I can't predict what will happen on second day. We have to get them out for as less as possible and we don't need to think too far as we are still 40 runs ahead and we have to see how many we can get before they take lead,” he signed off.