"We saw him becoming the leader of the pack" - Aakash Chopra lauds Mohammed Siraj's spell in 2nd India vs West Indies Test
Aakash Chopra has lauded Mohammed Siraj for shouldering the responsibility of a lead bowler and delivering a potent spell on Day 4 of the ongoing second Test between India and the West Indies.
Siraj registered figures of 5/60 in 23.4 overs as the Windies were bowled out for 255 in their first innings in Port of Spain in Trinidad on Sunday, July 23. The hosts ended the day at 76/2 in their second essay after being set a 365-run fourth-innings target.
While reviewing the day's play in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra heaped praise on Siraj, saying:
"It is a flat pitch and in such a case if Mohammed Siraj comes and picks up five wickets, you need to sing his praises. We saw Siraj's reign in Trinidad. We saw him becoming the leader of the pack."
The former Indian opener pointed out that the Hyderabad seamer was leading an extremely inexperienced seam attack, elaborating:
"One is Jaydev Unadkat, who is playing just his fourth Test and has made a comeback to Test cricket after a very long time. The second is Mukesh Kumar, who is a debutant. You (Siraj) were given the responsibility and you were playing on a surface that did not offer much help."
Chopra added that the second new ball, which swung a lot, proved to be the game-changer. The West Indies lost their last five wickets for just 26 runs, with Siraj accounting for four of those dismissals.
"The intent to bowl makes a huge difference" - Aakash Chopra on Mohammed Siraj's best attributes
Aakash Chopra picked Mohammed Siraj's eagerness to bowl in any situation as one of his best traits, explaining:
"He is a bowler who likes to bowl. You will say everyone likes that - that's not the case. Whether there is help from the pitch or not and even if he has bowled a long spell, when you look towards him, he says he will bowl. The intent to bowl makes a huge difference."
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that captains like to give more responsibility to such bowlers:
"It means you are in for a fight and ready to bowl continuously. Such bowlers are ones for the long haul and captains give them a lot of responsibility. Because he loves bowling, he is always at you as well."
Siraj castled Joshua Da Silva for his only wicket on Day 3 of the Trinidad Test. He got rid of Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel on the fourth morning to complete his five-wicket haul.