'If he had Played More...' Mohammed Siraj Points at Joe Root Dismissal as Critical Juncture in Rajkot Test

Team India finished day 3 of the third Test at Rajkot at 196 for the loss of two wickets in the second innings as Yashasvi Jaiswal’s unbeaten ton helped the hosts take their lead over England to 322 runs.

India dominated all three sessions on the third day of the Test as the bowling unit scalped eight wickets early in the day to pick up a 126-run lead. Pacer Mohammed Siraj, who had picked up a wicket on Day 2 added three to his tally and finished off the first innings with a four-wicket haul.

India got the breakthrough early in the day as Joe Root went for an outrageous shot that got him dismissed off Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling with Jaiswal hanging on to the catch offered up by the Englishman at slip.

Siraj cited the dismissal of the experienced batter as a key turning point in the day.

“Ben Duckett’s partnership was growing with Root, if he had played a little more, then it would have been difficult for us. But suddenly he played that shot which didn’t look like one to be played,” Siraj said.

Siraj got rid of Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed and James Anderson on Saturday, as the hosts bundled out the tourists for 319 runs.

“But it turned out good for us and after that Ben Foakes and Ben Stokes had a good partnership, and then Stokes played a shot which got him out and we got into the game from there,” the pacer added.

Siraj also lauded the batting effort of Jaiswal, who made an unbeaten 104 runs in quick fashion before retiring hurt due to what looked like a spasm in his lower back.

“The way he is batting, his confidence is very high. He is not looking behind and is totally focussed on what lies ahead and he is carrying on with that confidence. The message from the team is that he should continue the way he has been doing,” the 29-year-old bowler said.

“We only think of taking the game as forward as possible so that we (bowlers) should also recover because we are bowling long spells and fielding. The more we are able to recover the fresher we will be for the second innings,” he continued.

Siraj also touched up on the importance of sticking to the team’s plans as the days go by in the Rajkot Test.

“I reckon the ball will keep a little low on the fourth day but cannot say anything accurately for this wicket. Whatever I have assessed of this wicket, the more you are able to bowl at the stumps, you are more likely to get success. If you bowl wide, you may leak runs,” the seamer said.

The pacer also suggested that the track at Rajkot would offer som purchase to the spinner as the match went on and could be effective if used wisely as the game moves towards the fifth and final day on Monday.

“Spinners will obviously be effective in the fourth innings because the ball is turning. Not all six delivers (in an over) are turning but one odd one is. You can get wickets if you bowl with patience at one spot.

“Today we did not try anything apart from bowling at the stumps. Had we tried more, maybe we would not have got the wickets,” Siraj said.

Siraj used the yorker well and opined that it was important to keep the batsmen guessing through the usage of varying deliveries.

“It is a flat and slow wicket and we have to make a plan. You should put it down in the batsman’s mind that the bowler is bowling the bouncer or the slower one to keep him confused. I planned the yorker and executed it well and got the wicket and the momentum shifted.”

Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who reached the 500 Test wicket mark with the dismissal of opener Zak Crawley on Friday withdrew from the ongoing game due to a family emergency. Siraj wished his teammate well and expressed that skipper Rohit Sharma decided to go with longer spells for the four bowlers available.

“In the morning when we got to know that Ash bhai is not there, more responsibility fell on us. Rohit bhai told us that we would have to bowl long spells, and I love bowling long spells,” Siraj said.

“For a fast bowler in Test cricket, one cannot set up a batsman in three, four overs. We got success due to long spells. Ash bhai was our fifth bowler and I only wish that his mother gets well soon. If you bowl long spells you should not try much but be consistent with it line and lengths,” the bowler from Hyderabad added.

Siraj also added that the attacking England team are not used to defending all six deliveries in an over and tend to go for attacking shots and that it could be used to the home side’s advantage if planned well.

“The England batters are not used to defending all six balls in an over, if they have defended on two, they are going to attack the third,” the pacer concluded.