&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "IND vs SA, 1st Test | 'Just give me one over': What Mohammed Siraj told Shubman Gill as hosts dominate")
India's pacer, Mohammed Siraj, had a challenging beginning on day 1 of the first Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. While his partner, Jasprit Bumrah, was making things difficult for the Proteas with a consistent attack, Siraj struggled early on, leaking runs. However, his fortunes changed in the second session when he produced a match-turning spell. Siraj struck in his 10th over, dismissing Kyle Verreynne LBW with a sharp nip-backer on the very first delivery, and then clean bowled Marco Jansen with the fourth ball.
At the end of the day's play, Siraj shared that he had to convince India’s captain, Shubman Gill, for one more over after the skipper was considering taking him out of the attack, following two unsuccessful overs earlier in the session. "I just asked for one more over, and I ended up taking two wickets," Siraj told broadcasters, smiling.
The pacer also credited Jasprit Bumrah for his advice after his slow start. "Bumrah bhai told me that the best wicket-taking option was to bowl at the stumps, as it brings LBWs, bowled, and even catches into play with the right line," Siraj revealed. Bumrah ended up with impressive figures of 5 for 27 in 14 overs, while Siraj finished with 2 for 47 in 12 overs. Thanks to their efforts, India restricted South Africa to just 159 runs. Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel also played key roles, taking two and one wicket respectively.
By stumps, India had reached 37 for 1, trailing by 122 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed, leaving KL Rahul and Washington Sundar at the crease. Reflecting on South Africa's performance, Siraj said, “We’re in a strong position, having lost only one wicket. Markram and Rickelton had a good partnership earlier, but we made a strong comeback. At this stage, I think we’re ahead in the game.”
