Vaibhav Tripathi
Mohammed Siraj, the standout performer among the Indian bowlers in the first innings of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) Final, provided insights on Travis Head’s dismissal, the behavior of the pitch, and the strategic adjustments that India made on day 2.
Travis Head, Australia’s leading run-scorer in the first innings, fell victim to Siraj’s short ball ploy on the second day. Throughout the session, Siraj relentlessly targeted Head with a series of short deliveries, causing him difficulties, and eventually, dismissed him. So, that brings up a question as to whether India could have tried more short deliveries at Head on day 1.
“No, we bowled the bouncer yesterday too,” Siraj said at the prsser. “Many chances were created but they fell into gaps. But it’s not that we hit a bouncer and it went into the hand. I created 4-5 chances on my bowling that fell into the gap. If it had gone into the hand, it would have been a different scenario. We tried yesterday too. When the ball got soft, you have to keep the ball in line of the stumps. But that didn’t work. We got a bad day in the office.”
On day 1, the Indian seamers received assistance from the pitch, but their lack of discipline coupled with outstanding batting performances by Head and Smith allowed Australia to accumulate a score of 327/3. Siraj noted that there was more pace in the wicket on day 2, coupled with some uneven bounce.
“Yesterday, we got sticky bounce. Today, there was more pace in the wicket. And it is an uneven pace. Sometimes it is flying high, sometimes it is keeping low. So, the wicket is uneven and the pace of the wicket has increased. When the ball is soft, it is easier for the batsman to make runs. And like this Oval square boundary, it is easier to score a boundary.”
On the opening day of the Test match, the bowlers took advantage of the favorable overcast conditions and the assistance provided by the pitch. However, as the day progressed, the Indian bowlers struggled with their line and length, allowing Australia to recover from a precarious position of 76/3 and post a total of over 450 runs. In contrast, Australia’s bowlers performed efficiently, taking five wickets of the Indian team in just 38 overs. Each of the five Australian bowlers used so far contributed with one wicket apiece.
“No, absolutely. We also bowled very well. Especially, the way Head attacked, we had to automatically move the line back. Yesterday, it was 327 (on the board). So, today, if we hadn’t bowled well, then maybe there would be 500-550 runs on the board, “he pointed out.