WI vs IND, 2nd Test: Mohammed Siraj claims career-best figures
Indian speedster Mohammed Siraj starred on Day four of the second Test against West Indies at the Queen's Park Oval. This was Siraj's second Test fifer and also his best figures in this format. WI resumed Day 4 on 229/5 and the pacer ran through the lower order by scalping four wickets. Courtesy of his figures 5/60, India bundled out WI for 255.
A fiery spell from Siraj
Siraj had to toil hard to scalp his first wicket of the match. His first wicket was of Joshua Da Silva on Day 3. He returned on Day 4 with great zeal and removed Jason Holder first. He then trapped Alzarri Joseph right in front of the wickets. Siraj then scalped two wickets in two deliveries, removing Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel.
A look at his Test numbers
Playing his 21st test, Siraj has now raced to 59 wickets in the longest format of the game. He also owns an average of 29.83. Besides scalping two fifers, he has claimed four four-wicket hauls. This is only his second Test against WI and he has scalped seven wickets against them. Notably, Siraj has surpassed Ajit Agarkar's (58) wicket tally in Test cricket.
Third-highest Indian wicket-taker in Tests since his debut
Siraj has been phenomenal for India in the longest format. He made his debut against Australia in December 2020. Since his debut, Siraj is the third-highest wicket-taker for India in Test matches, having scalped 59 wickets in 21 Tests. Only Ravichandran Ashwin with 117 wickets and Ravindra Jadeja with 62 wickets are ahead of him in this period. Jasprit Bumrah (58) trails him.
How did the WI innings shape up?
After India piled up 438 in the first innings, WI were off to a good start as Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul started well. They added 71 runs together. However, only Brathwaite slammed a fifty, other batters like Kirk McKenzie, Jermaine Blackwood, and Alick Athanaze all got starts but couldn't convert. Siraj starred for India with Mukesh Kumar and Jadeja scalping two wickets each.
