The way Queen’s Park Oval track was playing up until the third day, it seemed that the second Test between India and West Indies is heading towards draw.
However, India pacer Mohammed Siraj turned the game upside down with his sensational spell in the morning session on Day 4.
The right-arm quick got rid of Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel in no time to help the visitors bundle out the hosts for 255 and take a sizeable first innings lead of 183 runs.
Earlier in the Caribbean innings, Siraj had dismissed wicketkeeper-batter Joshua Da Silva. As a result, he returned with his second five-wicket haul (5/60) in Tests.
For his career-best bowling performance in red-ball cricket, Siraj received rich praise from the West Indies pace legend Courtney Walsh.
"I was impressed with the two seamers. The control that they showed, the swing that they got with the new ball, obviously, as a fast bowler, that is what you like to see. It was good to see bending their back and getting the rewards for it," Walsh told JioCinema.
Siraj has come a long way after his Test debut in December 2020. In the absence of senior pacers like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami, he has spearheaded the Indian pace attack brilliantly on the tour of West Indies.
"Indians understand their roles well and accept the responsibility. He knows he is the leader of the pace attack. They had a debutant in the attack,” Walsh stated.
"So he has put his hand up and said 'listen, I am going to make sure I lead and the other bowlers follow'. Siraj took up the responsibility and he showed he is the leader of the pack in terms of the fast-bowling group. Not just because of the wickets he took, his whole approach, his game plan and the aggression he showed.
"The gameplan he had for all the batters, right through the game I was following it. He put the work and was rewarded well," he further remarked.
Coming to the match, India declared their second innings on 181/2 on the back of quickfire knocks from Rohit Sharma (57 off 44), Ishan Kishan (52* off 34), Yashasvi Jaiswal (38 off 30) and set a massive 365-run target for the home team.
In the fourth innings, R Ashwin claimed two wickets to leave West Indies at 76/2 at stumps on Day 4. While the hosts require 289 runs, the tourists need eight wickets to seal the Test match on the final day.
