The Indian workforce is in the proper place, mentioned skipper Rohit Sharma after the 1-0 collection win over the West Indies and praised Mohammed Siraj for stepping up within the absence of senior pacers.
Siraj picked up his maiden Man-of-the-Match award within the conventional five-day recreation after grabbing 5 for 60 within the West Indies’ first innings of the second Test, which led to a draw after rain washed out the fifth and closing day’s play on the Queen’s Park Oval.
Set an imposing goal of 365, the West Indies had been 76 for 2 on the shut of play on Day 4.
“We are in the right place. It’s about getting the job done,” Rohit mentioned on the presentation ceremony.
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Asked if Siraj is able to spearhead the tempo assault, Rohit mentioned he’s not on the lookout for just one bowler to play the lead position.
“Siraj, I have been watching closely. He’s taken such a giant step. He has led this attack. I don’t want anyone to lead the attack. I want everyone to lead when they are having the ball in their hand. You want the entire pace battery taking the responsibility,” he mentioned.
While rain appeared to have denied India, Rohit mentioned his workforce remained optimistic because the host was required to bat final on a pitch which although hardly had any demons.
“Every win is different. Playing in West Indies has its own challenge. Happy with the way things went. We gave it a good shot, unfortunately, we couldn’t get any play today. We actually went out with a positive intent yesterday.
“Rain had its final say. We were quite confident. You know how difficult it is batting last. We always wanted that kind of score where we wanted the opposition to go for it. There wasn’t much on the surface. No play today, unfortunate for us.”
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The Indian captain additionally lauded the efforts of centurion Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan, who slammed a 34-ball 52 within the second innings earlier than the declaration took place.
“You need guys like Ishan. We wanted quick runs, we promoted him, he wasn’t afraid. He was the first one to put his hand up.”
“In Test matches, you need guys who stabilise the innings like what Virat did, he played superbly. You need a mixture of everything. We have depth, we have got variety,” Rohit mentioned.
Despite the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami not round, Siraj mentioned he was by no means beneath any kind of stress.
“This is my first participant of the match award in Tests, very happy. There wasn’t a lot assist for the pacers. I saved my plans easy and executed.
“When you pick wickets in conditions like this, you get loads of confidence. Rohit bhai asked me to believe in myself, not take any pressure and enjoy,” Siraj mentioned.
West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite, who noticed his workforce give up inside three days within the first Test in Dominica, mentioned he was completely satisfied to see the batters lasting over 100 overs within the first innings.
“We showed some fight in this game with the bat. Bowling-wise, we can be more disciplined. It was a good comeback from the batters. We lost five wickets yesterday, that wasn’t good. Top-order batting 100+ overs is pleasing,” Brathwaite mentioned.
“We were positive, we had 98 overs on a pitch that was relatively good. It (chase) was on. Unfortunately with the weather, we didn’t get a chance.
“Preparation is important. We need to bat for long periods against good teams. Some countries have club cricket going on,” he added.
Source: sportstar.thehindu.com