Siraj received his first Man-of-the-Match award in a standard five-day sport after taking 5 for 60 within the West Indies’ first innings of the second Test, which concluded in a tie after the fifth and closing day of play on the Queen’s Park Oval worn out by relentless rain.
The West Indies have been 76 for 2 on the shut of play on the fourth night, having been set an intimidating goal of 365.
“We are in the right place. It’s about getting the job done,” Rohit mentioned on the presentation ceremony.
When requested if Siraj is able to lead the tempo assault, Rohit acknowledged that he’s not in search of a single bowler to take the lead.
“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 staff remained optimistic because the hosts have been required to bat final on a pitch which although hardly had any demons.
“Every win is different. Playing in the 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 closing say. We have been fairly assured. You understand how troublesome it’s batting final. We all the time wished that form of rating the place we wished the opposition to go for it. There wasn’t a lot on the floor. No play at present, unlucky for us.”
The Indian captain also praised centurion Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan, who hit a 34-ball 52 in the second innings before the declaration.
“You want guys like Ishan. We wished fast runs, we promoted him, he wasn’t afraid. He was the primary one to place 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 absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, Siraj claimed he was by no means beneath stress.
“This is my first player of the match award in Tests, very pleased. There wasn’t much help for the pacers. I kept my plans simple and executed.
“When you decide wickets in situations like this, you get a great deal of confidence. Rohit bhai requested me to consider in myself, not take any stress and luxuriate in,” Siraj said.
West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite, who saw his team surrender in Dominica in three days, said he was pleased to see the batters last more than 100 overs in the first innings.
In response to India’s first innings whole of 438, the West Indies have been bowled out for 255. India scored quickly of their second essay, ending at 181 for 2 in 24 overs.
“We confirmed some battle on this sport with the bat. Bowling-wise, we may be extra disciplined. It was a very good comeback from the batters. We misplaced 5 wickets yesterday, that wasn’t good. Top-order batting 100+ overs is enjoyable,” Brathwaite said.
“We have been optimistic, we had 98 overs on a pitch that was comparatively good. It (chase) was on. Unfortunately with the climate, we did not get an opportunity.
“Preparation is important. We need to bat for long periods against good teams. Some countries have club cricket going on,” he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com