New Delhi: Mohammed Siraj admits he needed a while to heal from the heartbreak of being the last dismissed at the Lord’s Test and is now keen to make useful contributions in the remaining two Tests for India to win the England series.
Siraj put on a defiant last wicket stand with Ravindra Jadeja to raise hopes of an Indian win in chase of 190 runs in the third Test at Lord’s but fell to Shoaib Bashir as the hosts won by 22 runs to go 2-1 in the five-match series.
A bitterly disappointed Siraj fell to the ground as Bashir’s delivery rolled backed into the stumps after being initially blocked. He is now motivated to ensure India win the last two matches and is even willing to ignore workload management.
“It took a long time to get over. That match felt like we could’ve won. In 2021 too, we won on the last wicket. I’m very emotional. We fought hard—Jadeja did great, and even Bumrah bhai batted 54 balls. Still, we lost.
“But I told myself: it’s 1-1 now, not over yet. That gave me motivation to do better, to focus more on my batting, especially overseas, where lower-order runs are crucial,” he said on Monday.
The 31-year-old is the only Indian pacer to have played in all the three Tests and has bowled 109 overs while Jasprit Bumrah has sent down 86.4 overs, Prasidh Krishna 62 overs and Akash Deep 72.1 overs in two matches each.
“Thank God, I have been fit and healthy so far. Yes there is workload to be considered as per science and if you go by the book how many overs Siraj bowled would be mentioned there.
“Having said that, my mindset is to get the best use of the opportunity and win games for India,” the right armer said, having taken 13 wickets in the series including a six-wicket haul in the second Test.
‘Dukes different this time’
Bowling with the Dukes ball hasn’t been a comfortable experience for seamers as it has soften and gone out of shapely too early in an innings, which is a challenge Siraj said.
“Yes, back in 2021 tour, the ball was different. This time, the ball goes out of shape quickly—especially after 10 overs. When that happens, you can’t bowl with good backspin, which makes things harder as the shape is not proper.
“But we have to adapt. You won’t always get favourable conditions—you have to perform in tough situations too,” he said.