IND vs WI | Rohit Sharma pleased with Mohammad Siraj’s bowling, said- ‘He executed his role brilliantly’
Port of Spain: Captain Rohit Sharma said after India’s 1-0 win in the two-match series against the West Indies that the Indian team is in the right place and in the absence of senior pacers, Mohammed Siraj has performed his role brilliantly. Siraj took 5 wickets for 60 runs in the first innings of the second Test against the West Indies. With this performance, he became man of the match for the first time in Tests. The match ended in a draw after the fifth and final day’s play was abandoned due to incessant rain at Queen’s Park Oval. Chasing a mammoth target of 365 for victory, West Indies were 76 for two at the end of the fourth day. Also read Rohit said at the award ceremony after the match, “We are in the right place. It’s about getting the job done.” Asked if Siraj is ready to lead the pace attack, Rohit said he doesn’t want just one pacer to play that role. He said, “I have seen Siraj from the beginning of his career. He has improved a lot. He has led this fast bowling attack but I don’t want any one to lead it. I want whoever is handed the ball to lead it. You want the entire fast bowling unit to share that responsibility.” The Indian team needed eight wickets to win but rain dashed the team’s hopes. Although the bowlers were not getting much help from the pitch, Rohit was optimistic about the win. The Indian captain said, “Every win is different. There is a different kind of challenge to face while playing in the West Indies. I am happy with the performance of the team. We tried well, unfortunately no one could play today. We had a really positive attitude.” He said, “In the end, the rain took over. We were pretty sure of the win. You know how difficult it is to bat in the last innings. We always wanted the kind of score where the opposition teams would go after it. It was unfortunate for us not to play today. Rohit also lauded the efforts of centurions Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan, who scored an unbeaten 34-ball 52 in the second innings before the declaration. He said, “You need players like Ishan. We wanted quick runs, we sent him to bat first. He plays fearlessly.” Rohit said, “In Test matches you need players who can stabilize the innings like Virat did, he played brilliantly. You need a mix of everything. There is depth and variety in this batting line-up.” Siraj, who performed brilliantly in the absence of players like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, said he was never under pressure. He said, “This is my first Man of the Match award in Tests. I am very happy. There was not much help for the fast bowlers here. I kept my plans simple and executed them in the right way. Siraj said, “When you take wickets in such conditions, your confidence increases a lot. Rohit bhai suggested me to believe in myself, not take any pressure.” (agency)
