IND vs WI 2025: ‘Every wicket felt like five’ - Mohammed Siraj reflects on rigorous spells in New Delhi Test

Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj expressed satisfaction with his performance in the two-match Test series against the West Indies, which the hosts won 2-0. Siraj played a key role with the ball, picking up 10 wickets in two games at an impressive average of 13.00. He delivered several tough spells on challenging surfaces, particularly at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, which hosted the second and final match.

The Hyderabad-born cricketer admitted that the New Delhi surface was difficult to bowl on, describing it as so hard that every wicket felt bigger, especially under the scorching heat. In the second Test at Delhi, Siraj claimed three wickets and said that the rewards felt special after putting in consistent effort and hard work.

“To be honest, this series was very good because we played in Ahmedabad, which offered a lot of help for the fast bowlers. But then we came to New Delhi, and we had to bowl a lot of overs here. Every wicket felt like 5 wickets. As a fast bowler, when you get a reward for your efforts, you feel the confidence and a happy feeling is there. And then you're also the impact player of the racing room so it felt very good,” said Siraj to bcci.tv.

The right-arm pacer added that he aims to continue performing at the same level in the future, emphasizing that Test cricket remains his favourite format. Siraj highlighted that red-ball cricket presents numerous challenges, both physically and mentally, which makes success in the format feel even more rewarding. He expressed his desire to keep adding to the team’s success in the format and turn into a red-ball specialist.

“When you achieve something, you feel very good about yourself. I feel very proud of myself. I will continue my performance like this, because my favorite format is Test Cricket. There are many challenges. You have to stay on the ground the whole day physically and mentally. I feel very proud to be able to contribute,” he added.

Next up, Siraj will be switching his focus to the One-Day Internationals for the tour of Australia. With Jasprit Bumrah rested for the ODIs in the multi-format series, Siraj will be leading the pace attack for the Men in Blue. Notably, the first match will be played on October 19 at the Optus Stadium in Perth, whereas, the second and third ODI will be played on October 23 and October 25 in Adelaide and Sydney, respectively.