Mohammed Siraj, who is touted as India’s next fast bowling superstar, proved his mettle in the longest format of the game in his very first Test series against Australia.

Siraj made his Test debut at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground and played a key role in India’s 2-1 Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21 triumph Down Under.

The right-arm pacer took 13 wickets in the series at an average of 29.53, including a maiden five-wicket haul (5/73) to script the visitors’ three-wicket victory in the decider at the Gabba.

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As Siraj is gearing up to take on England in the five-Test series from August 4, he is confident that the Indian team will be able to replicate the performance of Australia series in UK.

"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. 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 chat.

India’s last Test series victory on English soil came in 2007 under Rahul Dravid's captaincy. Since then, they have toured England thrice (2011, 2014, and 2018) but suffered demoralizing defeats on each occasion.  

"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," Siraj further said.

After his stunning debut in Australia, Mohammed Siraj also featured in a home Test series against England earlier this year and claimed 3 wickets from 2 outings on spin-friendly wickets.

The highlight of Siraj’s performance was the way he set up Joe Root’s wicket in the fourth and final Test at Ahmedabad.

The 27-year-old is now looking forward to trouble the England skipper in his own den.

"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 concluded.

(Inputs from TimesofIndia.com)