“Nobody gave me wickets for free” - Mohammed Siraj credits hard work for his success on Day 1 vs WI

Indian star pacer Mohammed Siraj has opened up on his performance against the West Indies on the opening day of the first Test at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday, October 2.

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Speaking at the post-day press conference, Siraj, who ended the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy as the leading wicket-taker with 23 scalps, credited hard work and the England tour for gaining a lot of confidence. 

On Day 1, Siraj scalped the wickets of Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Alick Athanaze, Brandon King, and Roston Chase to put the visitors on the back foot. Before this series, he scalped three wickets against Australia A in the second unofficial Test in Lucknow.

"It was a very competitive series in England and, of course, I got a lot of confidence from it. To perform against a strong side gives a different kind of confidence, and I felt it today as well," Siraj said.

Furthermore, Siraj also revealed that he took a much-needed three-week break from the game of cricket and resumed his training against Australia A. He also added that after a long gap, it was all about learning to get back to the rhythm.

"I took off for three weeks, then resumed training and bowling and played the India A game. When you play after a long gap, you also learn about your rhythm. It was very hot in Lucknow but I had a good preparation before the series. I followed up on my rhythm from the England tour but I enjoyed this break which I got after several years," he added. 

"I had to work hard for these four wickets here as well. Even in England, I had to work hard for getting wickets, it's not the case that you can get wickets just like that. No one gave me the fifth wicket (today), I had to take all four with hard work," he observed. 

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At stumps on Day 1, India was trailing by only 41 runs. KL Rahul and Shubman Gill are batting on 53* and 18* respectively.

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