Mohammed Siraj is improbable to overlook January 3, 2023 at this point in his international career. Although he has experienced periods of extreme danger and devastation in the past, his most pernicious outbursts occurred during white-ball contests. And although both of those were equally astounding, the disparity in accomplishment between that which was displayed against Sri Lanka and the one that dominated South Africa in their stronghold is enormous.
Siraj not only ensured that India got off to a solid start in Cape Town following a humiliating loss in Centurion, but also exceeded expectations by dismissing the South African batsmen in a scintillating nine overs containing figures of 6-15. Siraj emphasized during the press conference that followed the match the significance of adhering to a strategy and maintaining simplicity.
“On such pitches when there is so much swing and the pitch is misbehaving, bowlers tend to be greedy and try too many things,” said Siraj. “I think it’s important to stick to a plan and hit a certain area. If you try too much, you will put yourself and the team under pressure. On this pitch. it’s crucial to have bowling partnerships as sometimes, runs can be leaked while trying to get wickets.
“My mindset was to give a strong performance for the team and correct the shortcomings from the last Test. I realized what mistakes I had made and got it right today, and got the success. My strength is to land the ball in the right areas for a long period of time but I wasn’t able to do that in the last game. Today, I focused on my strengths and got the rewards. So, I’m really happy.”
In stark contrast to his lackluster performance at Centurion, during which he labored for consistency and cadence, Siraj delivered a spell. The 29-year-old provided a candid self-evaluation and detailed the manner in which he improved his performance during the two Tests. Additionally, the fast bowler lavished acclaim on the entire bowling unit for a day in which they captured 13 wickets in 40.2 overs. Similar to Siraj, the overall tempo attack seemed determined, in contrast to the initial Test where pressure was rarely generated from both ends.
“The discussion was to correct our mistakes as a bowling unit from last game. We focused on having more bowling partnerships and also planned on bowling more maidens. We didn’t bowl many maidens in the last Test and today we were able to build pressure as we bowled more maidens. We built pressure and hence got success,” he said.
“After playing so many years of domestic cricket, you get an idea of what areas to hit consistently on such pitches. When you go overseas and with so much swing available, it’s about consistently hitting a probing spot more often than not.”
While Siraj is renowned for his ability to seam and spin the ball at high velocities, his celebrations of wickets are equally remarkable, especially on a day like today when he is brimming with vitality. Siraj enjoys imitating the renowned Cristiano Ronaldo celebration while taking wickets, and aggression is what generally motivates the pacer to perform at his peak. Siraj, when queried about his theatrics, emphasized the critical nature of aggression for a fast bowler, particularly in the Test format.
“Emotions are a different thing. It’s important for fast bowlers to have aggression. Without aggression, it’s difficult for fast bowlers to get wickets in Test cricket. When you get hit for a boundary, you should be like ‘How did he hit me for a four, I’ll put him in his place!’, that should be the mindset.”
Given that 23 wickets fell in a single day, opinions regarding the quality and characteristics of the surface are understandably divided. While a segment has expressed approval of the fast-paced nature of the game and the abundance of ardent fast bowling, another segment has observed that spirited pacy tracks frequently evade criticism, in contrast to the spin-friendly tracks found in the subcontinent that generate significant spin from the very beginning. However, Siraj elected to abstain from participating in this perpetual debate.
“I can only say that I’d want to just focus on my game and my team. These things are for the match referee to decide. For me, it’s about bowling in the right areas and exploiting the surface. I don’t think anyone could have expected that and we obviously didn’t. But such things happen in cricket. With the good, the bad also come. They were bowled out for 55, we had a good start and a good partnership, so a collapse was bound to come.”
