Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj oozed confidence stating that India wants to win the series against England and they will do so by winning the rescheduled Test rather than drawing it.
Siraj has produced excellent performances since the time he made his debut against Australia in the 2020-21 Border Gavaskar Trophy. Having picked up 36 wickets in 12 Tests, and also bagging a five-wicket haul, Siraj was full of confidence in a conversation with the Times of India.com.
“India are already leading the Test series and I am sure we will win this series. We want to win this series by winning the fifth Test, not by drawing it,” Siraj told in an interview in May this year.
He also said that he would want to repeat the heroics of the series down under. “The memories of winning in Australia are still fresh and I want my team to repeat those heroics in England too.”
Siraj scalped 14 wickets in the first four Tests of the series so far. The visuals of Siraj bowling James Anderson at the Lord’s and the latter standing still and cold must still be fresh in minds of fans.
“I am really happy that I have managed to perform well for India. My ultimate aim is to take as many wickets for my team as possible and take them to wins. I want to perform well in overseas matches. I know I have been performing well at home but I get a lot of happiness and confidence when I do well on foreign soil. I did well in Australia. When I got a chance in England, I performed there too. So, I am preparing myself for every condition, situation, and format,” Siraj further said.
The right-arm quick had claimed 13 wickets in 3 matches against Australia. Since then, he has not looked back and has also been selected over veteran Ishant Sharma. Siraj, being a part of the RCB for a long time now, also shares a great rapport with Virat Kohli is high of praise for the way the former skipper supports him.
“I trust my abilities. My captain and coach backed me a lot. Virat bhaiya supported me a lot. He calls me a champion bowler. He encourages me and shows confidence in me. I lost my father when I was in Australia. I was given the choice to go back, but I refused and decided to stay back. It was Virat bhaiya who supported me a lot, mentally and psychologically. I was crying and he hugged me and consoled me. He used to come to my room and say ‘Mian, series jitna hai, tayyar raho perform karne ke liye’ (we have to win the series, be prepared to perform well). He has scored a lot of runs and played match-winning knocks for India. He is a great batsman and a great human being too,” Siraj expressed his emotions for Kohli.
“I always tell myself – ‘yes, I can do it’. This is something I say to myself on the field too. This is something that drives me forward and gives me a spark on the field. I want to be an all-format player for India. When the captain gives me the ball, my ultimate target is to uproot the batsman’s stumps,” he added.
India have developed an amazing crop of fast bowlers in recent times after Kohli took over the captaincy. Siraj said that there is a healthy competition amongst the bowlers that are on the international circuit. “There is healthy competition within the team. Everyone in the team has a lot of talent. This is a very good sign for Indian cricket overall. We have variety in our seam attack. Shami bhai, Umesh bhai, Ishant bhai, Bumrah, and I – we all have different styles and have different variations. I am learning and will keep on improving.”
Siraj was also high on praise for the new leadership in the Indian contingent. The captain and the head coach have changed since the last time India toured England. But Siraj is quite comfortable with Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma as well.
“He is a wonderful coach. The best part is that he is approachable. He has solutions to every problem. I have taken a lot of advice from him and the way he explains things is really amazing. Such a knowledgeable person he is,” Siraj lauded Dravid.
For Rohit, under whom he has played limited-overs matches, but is yet to play a Test match said, “I have played under Rohit bhaiya also. He trusts me a lot. He trusts me and shows confidence in me the way Virat bhaiya did. I find that both Rohit bhaiya and Virat bhaiya are the same when it comes to captaincy. Both of them are good captains. Both back youngsters. Rohit bhaiya guides me on the field. He tells me where to bowl and what deliveries I should bowl in particular situations,” Siraj signed off.