Plan was to hit one area consistently: Mohammed Siraj following win over Zimbabwe

Following his side’s five-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the second ODI, Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj said that his plan was to hit one area consistently. Top knocks from Sanju Samson, Shubman Gill and Shikhar Dhawan coupled with strong bowling from Team India crushed Zimbabwe by five wickets in the second ODI of the three-match series on Saturday.

“The way I was bowling in West Indies and England, especially with the new ball and the way I bowled in the first ODI here, I had a good rhythm. I had a plan to bowl and hit one area consistently,” said Siraj in a post-match press conference. Siraj delivered a brilliant spell in the match, taking 1 wicket for 16 runs in eight overs which also included two maidens.

Questioned about his good recent performances in white ball cricket, the bowler said that he kept a belief in himself. “Life is about up and downs. I had plans to hit one area consistently, give dot balls and create pressure on batters. When I use the new ball, I can go for wickets. White ball does not swing a lot. So I can go for wickets when it swings but when it does not, I focus on hitting one area consistently and delivering dot balls,” he added.

Talking about his relationship with stand-in head coach VVS Laxman, Siraj said that he knows him since his playing days at Sunrisers Hyderabad when he was head coach there. “He gives me a lot of confidence. It feels good when coaches like this are around,” he added.

With this victory, India has a 2-0 lead in the series with one match to go. Zimbabwe were bundled out for 161 in just 38.1 overs. Sean Williams (42) and Ryan Burl (41*) put on some fight but Indian bowlers got consistent wickets. Shardul Thakur took 3/38 for India. Siraj, Krishna, Kuldeep, Hooda and Axar Patel got one wicket each.

Chasing 162, India lost KL Rahul early for just one. Following this, Shikhar Dhawan (33) and Shubman Gill (33) rebuilt the innings. A 42-run stand between the two was broken after Tanaka Chivanga trapped Dhawan. Ishan Kishan and Gill continued forming a 36-run stand. Kishan (6) and Gill fell quickly to Luke Jongwe (2/33) and it gave India a scare. But a 56-run stand between Sanju Samson (43*) and Deepak Hooda (25) took Men in Blue home, though Hooda was dismissed just a few balls before the win. Samson was adjudged as ‘Man of the Match’ for his 43* off 39 balls.

Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 161 in 38.1 overs (Sean Williams 42, Ryan Burl 41*, Shardul Thakur 3/38) lost to India 167/5 in 25.4 overs (Sanju Samson 43*, Shubman Gill 33, Luke Jongwe 2/33)