IPL 2021: "Will try to pick up a couple of early wickets to put CSK on the back foot" - Mohammed Siraj

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pacer Mohammed Siraj has revealed that his aim against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be to try and claim a couple of early wickets to put the opponents under pressure.

RCB are facing CSK in Match 35 of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) in Sharjah on Friday. RCB go in having been hammered by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by nine wickets in their previous match. On the other hand, CSK defeated the Mumbai Indians (MI) by 20 runs in their earlier encounter.

Speaking about the challenge of taking on CSK, Siraj stated that he will go all out with the new ball to get early wickets.

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“I will try to get wickets with the new ball. Ruturaj Gaikwad played really well in the last game. Will try to pick up a couple of early wickets and put CSK on the backfoot,” Siraj said in a video posted on IPLT20.com.

The 27-year-old admitted that he is enjoying the responsibility of being one of the key pacers in the RCB camp now. Speaking about his role in the team, Siraj elaborated:

“We have (Navdeep) Saini and (Kyle) Jamieson in our team. So I keep discussing with them about what lengths to bowl and how the wicket is playing. I am really enjoying the responsibility and feeling proud to be an important member of the RCB bowling attack.”

Siraj has claimed six wickets in eight IPL 2021 matches so far at a strike rate of 28 and an impressive economy rate of 7.25.

“With the new ball, my aim is maintain the Test match line” - Mohammed Siraj

Siraj was part of the Indian squad that won two out of the four Tests in England. Asked how difficult it is to shift from one format to another, the Hyderabad cricketer explained:

“The line and length is basically the same. When I bowl with the new ball, my aim is to maintain the line that I bowl during Test matches. For death bowling, of course, one has to practice a lot to get the yorkers and slow balls right. During the practice session, I have worked a lot on these aspects so I am really feeling good.”

Asked to elaborate on his performance in the England series, Siraj said he wanted to keep the pressure on the England batsmen at all times.

“I played as the third fast bowler in England. So my only plan was to build pressure and bowl as many maidens as I could. Even if I wasn’t getting wickets, I wanted to ensure that I kept up the pressure so that the bowler at the other end could pick up wickets. So that was my aim while bowling in England,” he explained.

Siraj claimed 14 wickets in four Tests in England at an average of 30.71. Eight of them came in the famous Lord’s triumph.