My mindset was to bowl full and at the stumps – Mohammed Siraj

The Indian bowlers were phenomenal on Day 1 of the 1st against South Africa at the Eden Gardens as they bundled out the visitors for a paltry 159. Jasprit Bumrah was the star of the show with a five-wicket haul while he had apt support from Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav as the duo claimed two wickets each.

Talking in an interview following the close of day’s play, Siraj opened up on the conditions which were prevalent during the end of the first day’s play. He further shed some light on how he plotted his overall approach while underlining Team India’s outing on Day 1.

Explaining the conditions on the first day, Siraj said, “The new ball was coming on nicely to the bat, but when the ball went soft, the bounce became low as well. My mindset was to bowl full and at the stumps. There has been some reverse swing on offer, if you bowl stump-to-stump, you'll get options to take wickets and it isn't easy for batters to score runs.”

Shedding light on the dichotomy of the pitch at the two ends and how Bumrah’s advice helped him, Siraj added, “One end is fine to bat, the other end - the bounce is variable and it's tough to score. Jassi bhai just told me that the wicket taking option was if you bowl at the stumps, you've LBW, bowled and even catches coming to play when the line is accurate.”

Miyan concluded by highlighting India’s position at the end of day’s play, stating, “We are in a good position having lost just one wicket, (earlier) Markram and Rickelton put on a good stand, we did well to comeback and I think we're ahead of the match at the moment.”