“He thought I was going to bowl bouncer again” - Mohammed Siraj shares interesting details of how he plotted Abdullah Shafique’s dismissal
Team India pacer Mohammed Siraj has revealed that Abdullah Shafique’s wicket was the outcome of a ploy that worked to perfection. Providing details, the fast bowler stated that after bowling a bouncer he went and had a chat with captain Rohit Sharma. Siraj predicted that Shafique would be expecting another short one and hence bowled a length ball with which he trapped the Pakistan opener lbw.
Sent into bat after losing the toss in the 2023 World Cup match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, Pakistan got off to a decent start as their openers added 41. Siraj got the first breakthrough for India by trapping Shafique lbw for 20 off 24 balls.
At a post-match press conference, Siraj opened up on India’s bowling plans in Ahmedabad and also disclosed details of how he caught Shafique off guard with some cheeky planning:
“When a new ball comes in, you have to try and figure out whether it's swinging or not on the wicket. You can pitch it up at the start and can get hit for a couple of boundaries because it's such a big format. After that, you understand which line and length is better on the wicket. Once we got an idea of the same, we consistently hit those areas,” Siraj stated.
“Abdullah Shafique’s wicket was a plan and I had spoken to Rohit bhai about it. I had bowled a bouncer to him and he got stuck in the middle. Then, I talked to Rohit for a while and spent some time there. He thought I was going to bowl bouncer again. He was on the back foot and I pitched the ball up and got a good success,” the 29-year-old added.
The right-arm pacer also got the big wicket of Babar Azam for 50 off 58 balls, cleaning him up with a good length delivery that was angled in.
“Whatever point you get from a senior player, it helps the whole team” - Siraj on Rohit-Kohli guidance
During the media interaction, Siraj sidestepped a tricky query on whether he receives more support from current captain Rohit or his predecessor Virat Kohli. Giving a generalized reply, he stated that inputs from seniors always help.
“What can I say? Whatever point [information] you get from a senior player, it helps the whole team; it is meant for the whole team, not just one player. Because when the team wins, not just one person, the whole team wins the World Cup. So, if everyone shares their experience, it is helpful for the team,” the pacer concluded.
India bowled out Pakistan for 191 in Ahmedabad and then chased down the target in 30.3 overs, with seven wickets in hand.