After India’s series-clinching 372-run victory over New Zealand in the second Test, skipper Virat Kohli heaped praise on speedster Mohammed Siraj, who ran through the Kiwi top-order on Day 2 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
On the wicket where all other pacers from both sides failed to get any assistance, Siraj displayed phenomenal skills to help the hosts bowl out New Zealand for a paltry 62 in the first innings.
The right-arm pacer picked up three wickets in his four-over spell, which included the dismissals of stand-in captain Tom Latham, Will Young, and Ross Taylor.
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"Siraj has come a long way, he is someone who has lot of skill and talent. He puts in great effort every time he bowls, his performance is a great boost for him. We can rely on a guy like that. It is a great sign for any team to have a bowler like that who can give you key breakthroughs which can prove to be the difference in winning a Test match or drawing it," Kohli said during a virtual press conference, as quoted by ANI.
"If you have a look at the Lord's Test against England, the ball stopped swinging but he was able to get purchase of the wicket because of the skill he has. He has come a long way, he is probably in the best head space he has been as a bowler. It is about developing that and staying fit and be the bowler that the team wants him to be," he added.
Opener Mayank Agarwal starred with the bat for India in both innings of the Mumbai Test, scoring 150 and 62 to bag the Player-of-the-Match award.
Commenting on Agarwal's performance, Kohli said: "Great application from Mayank. To play at this level for a long period of time, he has shown great character. We have all gone through certain stages in our career where we have had to bring that impact performance and he has done that. This will help him in being consistent for India in the coming years, he is definitely an asset. These types of innings will certainly give him confidence."
When asked whether team management sees Shubman Gill as a middle-order option, Kohli said: "Well, that is a discussion that needs to take place on who we think are specialists for certain positions. These are not things I cannot sit here and answer. You need to have discussions and analyse what is best for the team and the individual."
After taking a massive first-innings lead of 263 runs, India posted 276/7 (declared) in their second innings to set up a target of 540 for the BlackCaps in the last dig.
In reply, New Zealand’s innings folded for 167 within the first hour on Day 4. While Jayant Yadav returned with the figures of 4-49 in the second essay, R Ashwin (4-34) also picked up four scalps and Akshar Patel (1-42) chipped in with a wicket.
It was a listless batting performance from the visitors for the second time in the match. Six of them in the line-up got out for a single-digit score and Daryl Mitchell top scored with 66.
(With ANI inputs)
