[Watch] Mohammed Siraj stuns Ross Taylor with a jaffa in second India vs New Zealand Test
Rarely in his 110 Test-strong career would Ross Taylor have faced a delivery as unplayable as Mohammed Siraj's on Saturday.
It all happened in the sixth over of New Zealand's innings in the second Test against India at the Wankhade. The right-arm pacer came over the wicket to the right-hander and hurled the SG cherry with a brilliant seam position.
The ball hit the seam on the middle stump at a good length, inviting Ross Taylor forward. It then angled out just a touch to take the off-stump with it. The batter played for the straight line but was outfoxed at all ends by the subtlest movement.
You can watch the crackerjack delivery, Ross Taylor's dumbfounded walk back, and Mohammed Siraj's cock-a-hoop celebrations here:
Absolute peach from Siraj, Great opening spellš„
https://t.co/NAJLettqtc
You can also watch the dismissal here.
Ross Taylor lost his wicket on his second delivery of the match. He could only add one run to New Zealand's tally.
Mohammed Siraj also dismissed both New Zealand openers
Bowled!
Siraj strikes again as Ross Taylor is bowled for 1 run.
Live - bit.ly/IndvNZ2ndTest #INDvNZ @Paytm https://t.co/5lMLGoLoiu
Before sending back the senior middle-order batter, Mohammed Siraj also got rid of New Zealand's rock-solid openers - Tom Latham and Will Young. The latter was the first to go in the fourth over as he edged a similarly brilliant delivery to captain Virat Kohli at second slip that hit the length and seamed out with bounce.
Latham then fell to a perfect plan by the Indians. Pundits had called upon India to use the short ball against him in the first Test but it fell on deaf ears. Mohammed Siraj obliged in this match, forcing the left-hander to hook a rising delivery dead straight into the hands of Shreyas Iyer at deep square leg.
If Mohammed Siraj's blistering spell wasn't enough, left-arm off-spinner Axar Patel got Daryl Mitchell out LBW in the 9th over to reduce the visitors to a dismal 27-4 in reply to India's first-innings total of 325.