Mohammed Siraj – The ravager in Cape Town

It’s not the first time that we have seen Mohammed Siraj calling the shots in a game like he did at Cape Town, ravaging the South African batting unit like a wrecking ball let loose. However, it certainly was the first time in the Whites, that Miyan showed what he is truly capable of on a green top with the new ball in his hand. Talk about vengeance, much? Siraj had it coursing through his veins.

Pulling off a highlight reel of the Asia Cup final that was played with the white ball, Siraj bowled like a man possessed. With the red ball shining in his hands, he started snaking the ball in all directions, leaving the Proteas batters with a sour taste in their mouth.

Siraj’s first victim of the day was Aiden Markram who was drawn towards a delivery that looked pretty tame per se only to get a bit of late drift which proved to be the unravelling of the South African opener as he nicked to Yashasvi Jaiswal at slip.

The Proteas skipper, Dean Elgar, who took the game away from India in the first Test, was ensnared in a similar trap by Siraj. A ball that looked like going away from the southpaw had a late wobble which was extremely subtle to be picked in the spur of the moment and an attempted cut got the ball to clatter onto Elgar’s timbre, awarding Siraj and India the second of the day.

Miyan was not taking any prisoners whatsoever and Tony de Zorzi, who has so far savoured an excellent series, could barely move in front of Siraj’s brutal pace. With Rahul’s razor-sharp reflexes and a plan in place, Siraj bowled a ball on the southpaw’s legs and the next thing that followed was the Indian wicket-keeper completing another comfortable take.

Siraj’s fourth of the day was David Bedingham’s scalp, who looked promising in the first Test. Falling for the extra bounce, the latter nicked one to Jaiswal who had no troubles whatsoever in pouching the sitter. Marco Jansen was foxed by the leg-cutter from RCB’s pace spearhead as he ended up nicking one to Rahul, bringing about the Indian seamer’s third five-wicket haul.

Toppling records like a house of cards, Siraj got to angle the ball away from Kyle Verreynne as the latter cut straight to Shubman Gill at second slip, registering the best bowling figures for Miyan in Test cricket (6/15) and also leaving South Africa wobbling along the fringes of madness.