Ahmedabad, Oct 2 (NationPress) Mohammed Siraj stated that his ‘wobble seam’ deliveries enabled him to regain his rhythm on the opening day of the inaugural Test between India and West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday, where he took four wickets, leading to the opposition being dismissed for a mere 162 runs in 44.1 overs.

The last match Siraj participated in was against England at The Oval, nearly two months prior. Although he struggled initially, he swiftly regained his form after securing his first wicket.

This breakthrough came in the 10th over when he bowled out Brandon King using his signature wobble seam delivery. Siraj mentioned that he opted for this technique after his away swingers failed to produce the desired results.

“When my in-swing stopped, I automatically started getting an out-swing. Then, I realized that this is what is referred to as ‘wobble seam’. I kept practicing it. I had only heard of the term wobble seam. So, I tilted the seam slightly and bowled,” Siraj explained during the post-match press conference.

“When the out-swing isn’t effective, my wobble seam tends to perform better. To this day, it has consistently brought me success. I’m enjoying this aspect. Given the conditions today, the swing wasn’t prominent, which is why I thought the seam would be more effective here. So, I focused more on the wobble seam,” he added.

The pacer from Hyderabad noted that claiming those four wickets required significant effort, emphasizing that he had to work diligently to achieve this feat. This was similarly true during his match against the English batters in the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy.

“I earn wickets through hard work. I secured wickets in England through effort as well. Here too, I toiled hard. It’s not as if wickets were handed to me on a platter. I had to put in the work to take those four wickets,” he remarked.

When asked about his mindset before bowling against the Windies, Siraj expressed immense excitement upon seeing a ‘green-top’ wicket, describing it as a rarity in home matches. He conveyed satisfaction in executing his strategies effectively, stating:

“I was thrilled to bowl on this green-top wicket, something we rarely see in India. The last instance was against New Zealand in Bengaluru. I managed to execute my plan as intended. Two balls prior, he was struck on the pads, and I considered bowling in line with the stumps. It worked perfectly as I envisioned.”