Mohammed Siraj, the Indian cricketer who took one for 36 in the first ODI of the three-match series, said in a statement that he bowled effectively against the West Indies and England, adding that his strategy was to strike an area without thinking about wickets.
“In West Indies and England also I bowled well, my rhythm was good in the first match as well, so my plan was to hit an area consistently without worrying whether I will get wickets or not,” Siraj revealed this during the post-match press conference on Saturday.
The 28-year-old Siraj, who took one wicket for 16 runs in eight overs, said that concentrating on bowling well was the key to his success after producing another stunning stint in the second ODI against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Activities Membership.
Siraj had previously kept the ball in the off-stump channel, causing the Zimbabwe hitters to struggle with the late swing.
Siraj has performed admirably in red-ball cricket. He had 40 wickets in 13 Tests, but lacked consistency in white-ball play.
Siraj on confidence
When asked how he adjusted to white-ball cricket, he responded by saying that he simply maintained "self-belief."
“I just kept belief on myself, because ups and downs are part of everyone’s life, so I just kept belief that I can do it no matter if it is a white ball or red ball.”
Siraj also said that all he wanted to do was keep hitting the right spots and bowl dot balls to put pressure on the opposition.
“So simply wished to maintain hitting the fitting areas and bowl dot balls to construct up strain on the opposition.”
“If I’m starting with the new ball, in the first two overs I go for wickets. The white ball doesn’t swing as much, so in that phase when it swings I go for wickets. When it’s not swinging, I aim for the spots where I can hit to get a dot ball, maiden overs,” he added.
Additionally, he said that he used to consistently hit one space because he was aware that the white ball did not move around much.
“Beginning with the brand new ball, I went for wickets just a few occasions however as you already know white ball does not swing a lot, so I used to be planning to persistently hit one space and bowl maiden overs," Siraj explained.
It was previously reported that Siraj only managed to take five wickets in five T20Is, but managed to take 13 in 10 ODIs.
In a different statement, Siraj also addressed whether the team's performance showed any concerning trends.
“As a result of the full was 160 or one thing. We have been 100 for 4 however there was no panic within the dressing room as a result of we wanted simply 40 runs after Ishan Kishan‘s wicket," he said.
Given a break before the Asia Cup, current Nationwide Cricket Academy (NCA) head VVS Laxman took over as India's head coach for the tour of Zimbabwe with Rahul Dravid.
When inquired about Laxman's importance in his role, Siraj replied that Laxman "understands" his ability and gives him a lot of confidence.
“Laxman sir was a part of Sunrisers Hyderabad (in IPL) once I was chosen for the primary time," Siraj asserted.
"He understands my abilities and offers me a number of confidence and it feels good when a coach is round.”
