Pacer Mohammed Siraj has had another fantastic day playing in whites for Team India in the fourth Test against England. Siraj ended up with figures of 2/45 including big wickets of England's skipper Joe Root and batsman Jonny Bairstow. Still, in the early days of his Test career, Siraj just wants to enjoy and grab every opportunity he gets playing for his country.
Answering a DNA query in the press conference after the day's play, about how he sees his short but excellent Test career thus far, Siraj said, "My only aim is to grab every opportunity I get [to play for the country]. After poor performances in T20Is and ODIs in the past, when I got an opportunity to play Test matches, my only aim is to keep performing whenever I get a chance."
"After poor performances in T20Is and ODIs, I want to grab every opportunity I am getting in Test matches, playing for the country," says Mohammed Siraj#Siraj #INDvsENG #INDvENG #INDvsENG_2021
— DNA (@dna) March 4, 2021
Siraj, who has played in one ODI and three T20I faced an ouster from the squad after below-par performances. In the lone ODI, he played against Australia at Adelaide Oval, he didn't take a single wicket and gave away 76 runs. And in the three games in the shortest format, he has taken three wickets, however, his economy is above 12.
The 26-year old pacer from Hyderabad, who made his debut a couple of months ago in Australia, has gone through a gamut of emotions since then. He lost his father in November but chose to stay with the squad. He made his debut at the MCG after an injury to Mohammed Shami. He then led the bowling attack in the final Test at the Gabba and took his maiden fifer. Siraj ended up as the highest wicket-taker for India in the series with 13 wickets.