‘It was a dream delivery for any fast bowler’ – Mohammed Siraj on Ross Taylor’s dismissal in Mumbai Test

Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj was over the moon after he got rid of New Zealand batter Ross Taylor with an absolute peach. In the second day’s play of the final Test at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Siraj rattled Taylor’s woodwork with a delivery that shaped away from the batter after pitching.

Taylor’s wicket was a crucial one for Team India as the Black Caps had lost their third wicket with only 17 runs on the board in their first innings. Siraj revealed that he tried to outfox the veteran batter with an outswinger after setting a field for an inswinger.

I thought why not bowl an outswing, says Mohammed Siraj

“The plan was that we had set the field for an inswing delivery and to hit the pads, but the way I was building my rhythm, I thought why not bowl an outswing. It was a dream delivery for any fast bowler,” Siraj said in the post-day press conference.

Siraj split his webbing in the Jaipur T20I after which he had to warm the bench for an extended period of time. He got fit for the opening Test in Kanpur, but the team management opted for the more experienced Ishant Sharma. Siraj said how he worked on his consistency after the injury layoff.

“When I resumed training after getting injured, I did a lot of single wicket bowling with an aim to get as much swing as possible. That was my focus. As and when I would get a chance in the Test match, I had to consistently hit one area, and that’s what helps me in building my rhythm,” he stated.

“I wanted to pitch it on stumps and hit one area consistently as it creates a problem for batters. The batters start leaving deliveries if you start bowling outside the off-stump,” Siraj added. “I knew I would get 3-4 overs of spell and wanted to bowl with full intensity,” he concluded.

Siraj bowled only four overs in the Kiwis’ first innings, but he picked up the crucial wickets of Taylor, and openers Tom Latham and Will Young. India are leading 332 runs with all their wickets intact in their second innings.