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'The Pitch Wasn't Doing Much': Mohammed Siraj Acknowledges Challenges of Bowling on Trinidad Track

image-lkgha5n6Mohammed Siraj bagged his second five wicket haul. (AP Photo)

After registering his best figures in Test cricket on Day four of the second Test against West Indies at the Queen's Park Oval, Mohammed Siraj expressed satisfaction with his display, acknowledging the challenges of securing a five-fer on a placid track.

The right-arm seamer displayed exceptional swing bowling skills as he rattled the West Indies batting unit, claiming a remarkable 5 for 60, his best figures in Test cricket. Joining an elite list of Indian pacers to achieve a five-wicket haul in Tests in the West Indies, Siraj showcased his talent alongside icons like Kapil Dev and Jasprit Bumrah.

Siraj's masterful display of swing bowling left the West Indies batters in a state of bewilderment. Alongside debutant Mukesh Kumar, he skillfully dismantled the West Indies batting unit, causing them to collapse from 229 for 5 at the beginning of Day 4 to 255-all out. This substantial decline handed India a commanding 183-run first innings lead.

Despite the lack of assistance from the surface, Siraj strategically focused on maintaining a stump-to-stump line, allowing the potential for seam movement to work in his favor. The plan proved effective, especially with the relative freshness of the new ball on the day.

"First of all, this performance was really good because it's not easy to take a five-fer on such a flat wicket. The pitch wasn't doing much. I wanted to keep it stump to stump. From there if it seams, it's really good. That was my plan, just to keep executing this simple plan. Today we had a relatively new ball too, so it was swinging,"  Mohammed Siraj said at the end of the fourth day's play.

In the absence of senior pros Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj has emerged as the leader of India’s pace attack in the ongoing Test series.

At the end of the day 4, the hosts stood at 76/2 in their second innings, with a challenging 365-run target set by the Indian team for the fourth innings.

India's chances of securing victory and completing a series whitewash will hinge on Siraj replicating his first-innings performance with the ball.