I Missed Jasprit Bumrah In The Final Test: Mohammed Siraj

Indian Pacer Mohammed Siraj went from making his debut in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia to being the leader of the pack in the fourth Test. On the fourth day of the Brisbane Test, Mohammed Siraj took his maiden five-wicket haul and is now India’s leading wicket-taker of the series with 13 scalps to his name

After the end of play on Day 4, the right-arm speedster thanked, Ajinkya Rahane, who is the stand-in skipper for Virat Kohli. Siraj appreciates the trust Rahane put in him and says that he has had constant conversations with the interim captain which gave him the confidence.

“I would like to thank Rahane who showed trust in me and the youngsters. He was constantly talking to me, and he gave me confidence,” Mohammed Siraj said in the virtual post-day press conference.

The 26-year-old felt the absence of spearhead Jasprit Bumrah on the field. Bumrah was ruled out of the Brisbane Test owing to an abdominal strain he sustained in Sydney. In Bumrah’s absence, Mohammed Siraj was the seniormost Test bowler in the side – Shardul Thakur and Navdeep Saini have played a solitary Test, T Natarajan and Washington Sundar were making their debuts – and needed to step up in the last game of the series, and he did.

“I missed Jassi bhai (Jasprit Bumrah), and in his absence, I had to step up on the occasion. My aim was to build pressure on Australia batsmen,”

The goal is to win the series: Mohammed Siraj

As things stand after stumps on Day 4 at the Gabba, India needs to chase 328 and Australia needs to take 10 wickets to win the match and take the series. But,  Australia must win the Brisbane Test to take the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as a draw would mean India retain the trophy having won it on their last tour.

However, as Siraj reveals, the primary aim of the Indian team is to win the match and consequently the series. The seamer is also proud of the efforts of his bowling partners – India bowled the hosts out twice at the Gabba, Australia’s fortress, and it is because of the bowlers that the visitors still stand a chance to win the game.

“If I get a chance, I will bat for India, but the goal is to win the series. After so many injuries, still we fought back, especially in the first innings. It is a proud moment to see how the youngsters Shardul, Washington, and Natarajan are performing,” Mohammed Siraj further added.

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