IND vs ENG | Confident that India will triumph against England as we did against Australia, affirms Mohammed Siraj
Siraj predicts India to win against England, away from home
|Ahead of the five-match Test series, Mohammed Siraj has stated that he is confident that the visiting Indian team will beat England in a similar manner they did against Australia. Like in Australia, Siraj has his sights set on picking the wicket of the opposition skipper during the series.
While his debut might have come late, in 2020 against Australia, Mohammed Siraj in his short Test career has already established himself as a key member in the playing XI. In varying conditions, both home and away, the right-arm pacer bowled with zeal and enthusiasm, accounting for several top wickets, including England skipper Joe Root and Australian opener David Warner amongst others.
Having not been part of the Indian playing XI against New Zealand, Siraj is expected to play a larger role in the upcoming series against England. Siraj affirmed that India will definitely beat England away from home as they did against Australia twice in two years. In the three matches that he played against Australia, the pacer picked up 13 wickets at an average of 29.53.
“I am confident that we will beat England the way we defeated Australia. I am not nervous, I am confident. We have stars in our team," Siraj told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.
"The Australia series taught me a lot. Playing under Ajju bhaiya (Ajinkya Rahane) was amazing. He backed me a lot. I still get goosebumps when I recall that day. Holding the winning trophy and celebrating with the team is a different feeling altogether,” he added.
Under Virat Kohli’s leadership, India suffered a stunning series defeat at the hands of England last time around in 2018. However, Siraj insisted that this Indian team under Kohli’s leadership would definitely come back home with a trophy.
"I am confident India will beat England under Virat bhaiya's captaincy. I am eager to hold the winning trophy with Virat bhaiya in England. Our team is looking so strong and we are ready for this big series," he added.
In the home series against England, Siraj accounted for the Three Lions skipper Joe Root in the fourth Test and he hopes to dismiss him yet again in the upcoming series. Alongside that, the pacer insisted that his aim is to take as many wickets as possible, having picked 3 wickets in the series against England in two Tests.
"Joe Root is England's best batsman. I am targeting his wicket and there are others too who I want to target. I dismissed Root during the home series and he is part of my plan of action. My aim is to take as many wickets for my team as possible," Siraj signed off.
