• Source:JND
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India vs West Indies 1st Test: Star India pacer Mohammed Siraj, who devastated the West Indies batting lineup with a four-wicket haul on the opening day of the Test on Thursday, said that he was overjoyed to bowl on a lively wicket at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Siraj, who had played a pivotal role in India drawing the Test series against England 2-2, resumed from where he had left off two months back by returning figures of 4/40 on a lively pitch to help dismiss the West Indies for 162 in 44.1 overs.

With skipper Shubman Gill saying that he would like his team to play on pitches that provide equal opportunities to both batters and bowlers, and are fundamentally not rank turners, Siraj led the bowling attack here to help India to a commanding position on the opening day itself.

India are 121 for two in the first innings, trailing West Indies by 41 runs with eight wickets in hand.

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"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," Siraj said after stumps on day one.

While the pitch had a lot of green cover in the lead-up to the Test, a lot of it was shaved off, but it still provided enough assistance with the new ball.

Siraj used his wobble seam deliveries to great effect, taking three wickets in the morning session to set the tone for the home team. He sent the middle stump of West Indies No. 4 Brandon King cartwheeling after the batter shouldered arms, and then dismissed skipper Roston Chase with an angled delivery.

Siraj said the delivery he bowled to Chase surprised him as well. “With the wobble seam, the ball either comes in or cuts out. But that delivery kept straightening from the shiny side while I had bowled it with wobble seam," he said.

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Talking about King's dismissal, the Indian seamer said, "I was able to execute it the way I had planned for it. Two balls before, he was hit on the pads. I thought about bowling in the line of the stumps, and I was able to execute what I had thought of."

Coming off a long England series in which Siraj's persistent efforts helped India earn 2-2 draw, the fast bowler admitted he felt confident having done well against a strong side on their home grounds.

"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 felt it today as well," he said.

"I took off for three weeks, then resumed training and bowling and played the India A game. 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.

"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," he said.