'The South African way': Mohammed Siraj takes six wickets to bundle South Africa out for 55

Mohammed Siraj wreaked havoc in his opening spell of the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town.
 By Darpan Jain Updated: Jan 3, 2024, 16:02 IST
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Siraj took six wickets in nine overs, conceding only 15 runs, to break South Africa’s batting unit.

Mohammed Siraj wreaked havoc in his opening spell of the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town. He was right on the money straight away, and the African batters looked clueless. When he is on the song, Siraj can run through any lineup, and it was visible again today at the picturesque Newlands.

Siraj took six wickets in nine overs, conceding only 15 runs, to break South Africa’s batting unit. He was relentless and stifled the batters like he always does when in his rhythm. India needed to start well with the new ball, and Siraj delivered.

He first dismissed Aiden Markram on a score of 2 to start the proceedings, and what followed was absolute carnage. In his next over, Siraj got the biggest fish, Dean Elgar, on a score of 4 before sending Tony de Zorzi back three overs later. As if it wasn’t enough, Siraj continued his stint since he was bowling well, and the move worked.

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The pacer removed David Bedingham (12) and Marco Jansen (0) in the same over to end any chances of South Africa coming back in the innings. His sixth wicket was of the talented Kyle Verreynne, losing his wicket on 15 next over. Overall, Mohammed Siraj’s first spell read the figures 9-3-15-6.

Mohammed Siraj becomes the second Indian bowler to take a five-wicket haul before lunch

Mohammed Siraj became only the second Indian bowler to take five or more wickets before lunch in Test Cricket. Maninder Singh was the first-ever Indian to achieve this feat. He registered this record against Pakistan in 1987 in Bangalore.

Mohammed Siraj just kept running in and dismissing batters for fun against South Africa. He was given an extended spell to keep the momentum going. Siraj likes bowling long spells when in his flow.

His lengths were immaculate, tempting the batters to play them. However, Siraj found the edge of the bats more often. It was a much better performance from him than in the Centurion in the first Test.

Yashasvi Jaiswal also supported him well. He took every chance coming his way in the slips. The other bowlers wrapped the innings quickly, as South Africa were bundled on a mere 55 after electing to bat first.

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