‘Been waiting for a moment like this for over a year’

Speaking after the day’s play, Siraj told broadcasters JioHostar: “This feeling is unbelievable. I’d been waiting for a moment like this for over a year. I always bowled well but wickets didn’t come. Today, the morning session felt good but still no breakthrough — so these six wickets are really special. The pitch was slow, but I knew I had a responsibility.”

India’s pace-bowling unit has been under scanner in the last two away Test series — against Australia and now England — especially after the team management decided to manage Jasprit Bumrah’s workload. Bumrah has been rested for the ongoing Test against England and is likely to sit out for at least one of the three remaining matches.

Reflecting on his spell, Siraj said his mindset was to ‘keep it tight and not give away runs’. “The wicket was very slow but when you are given a responsibility to lead the attack, my aim was to not try too much and just bowl in the right areas and bowl with discipline. My mindset was to keep it tight and not give away runs,” he said. “It’s Akash Deep’s third or fourth match, same for Prasidh (Krishna), so I was just focused on staying consistent and building pressure. I feel like trying different things, but I have to stay consistent.”

The pacer he ‘loved the challenge’ to lead the attack in Bumrah’s absence. “I’ve played 38 Tests, so my aim was to bring stability. With 600 runs on the board, I didn’t want to go hunting for wickets—I just wanted to be consistent. I love responsibility, I love challenges. I’ve seen many challenges in life, and I feel I perform best when there’s a burden on my shoulders,” he said.