14 October - Ahmedabad - India player Mohammed Siraj post-match press conference
[Reporter:]
How important is the toss for you?
[Mohammed Siraj:]
Sir, to be honest, the toss is not in our hands because we can win the toss and lose it anytime. But yes, winning the toss was good for us. Because in the second inning, the dew is a big factor. So, toss had an important role.
[Reporter:]
Sir, you took the first wicket today. Did you understand that the ball was coming in well? After that, it was a ride for you? Was the performance good?
[Mohammed Siraj:]
Yes, absolutely. Because when a new ball comes in, you have to see if it's swinging or not. You can pitch it up at the start and can get hit for a few boundaries because it's such a big format, and you are trying to figure if the ball is swinging or not. Then we understand which line is better on the wicket. Then we consistently keep hitting the areas. Abdullah Shafique’s wicket was a plan because I had spoken to Rohit Bhai - I had bowled a bouncer to him before but he got stuck in the middle. Then I talked to Rohit for a while and spent some time there. He thought I was going to bowl bouncer again. He was on backfoot and I pitched the ball up and got a good success.
[Reporter:]
Sir, when you are part of an attack where there is no weak link and whoever is bowling with you or whoever is giving backing up, how much help and benefit do you get from it?
[Mohammed Siraj:]
You see, our bowling unit is doing so well from the last three matches. It's not like only one person is performing. Overall, the bowling unit is performing. If you don't get a wicket, you're building pressure and putting in a dot ball. In this, the team will get the success and the team will get the help. When Jassi bowls the ball - you can see what line is better on the wicket. When you're on the third man and the final leg, you get to see the line and get some information from the keeper that this line is better on the wicket. So, it becomes easier to execute.
[Reporter:]
If we talk about the last game and the first three overs of this game, so you felt the rhythm was a little less. And today, this game particularly, when did you feel that rhythm has returned after the wicket? Because you have shown the same penetration from the old ball. So, what changes should we make in terms of wicket?
[Mohammed Siraj:]
When we go to office you also have a day off – it cannot always be the same performance every time, the graph always comes down. So, I think to myself that I am not a bad bowler because of one match. I always keep my confidence high that my bowling is good and I should be the number one bowler. This confidence helps me in bowling and I can't be a bad bowler if I lose a match. I have backed myself to do that. I have got the result today.
[Reporter:]
You got the wickets after bowling cross seam. When did you decide to bowl cross seam?
[Mohammed Siraj:]
I started from 3rd over. Because in the end, there could have been chances of reverse. Because when I was crossing the seam, it was coming easy on the bat. The batsman was not struggling. The ball was coming easy.
So, I thought, this wicket has a lot of cross seam, because it can be low, sometimes you get extra bounce, so you get the bounce and if you get the wicket, that’s very good and you have seen the result.
[Reporter:]
This was the biggest margins in which India has beaten Pakistan – before the match what was the atmosphere in the dressing room? What did the coach tell you, before the match?
[Mohammed Siraj:]
To be honest, I didn't feel that the team was playing a match between India and Pakistan. Because this is a World Cup match, and every match is very important for us. Because India and Pakistan are not just important matches, every match is important for us. We are focusing on that one match at a time. We are talking like that. We played 3 matches and won 3-3. The environment is very good.
[Reporter:]
When Babar and Rizwan were batting well, what was your and the bowlers' thinking just before you came back and before Babar's wicket, what was their thinking - when their partnership was being built?
[Mohammed Siraj:]
Yes, because when their partnership was going well, when I was called for bowling, I had a plan to take a wicket here, and it would be very helpful for the team. Because if we break the partnership, then the new batsman will come and we will put pressure on him and put a dot ball. So, my only aim was to take a wicket there and I got that wicket. After that, they collapsed.
[Reporter:]
Since childhood India-Pakistan games are heard about the World Cup, there is pressure. Have you ever thought that it will be such a one-sided game?
And second thing in dressing room are you showing Rohit the 2019 highlights?
[Mohammed Siraj:]
No sir, to be honest I never thought that I will play World Cup and that too because I have come from so low so - I never thought that I will play World Cup, but now I am playing so it is a matter of achievement for me. And India and Pakistan are known for their high intensity and high-pressure games. But today I saw that and I felt good. And Rohit bhai is a legend. He can hit anytime.
[Reporter:]
You were answering the question about Babar. I want to know one thing. The score was 155 for 2. The delivery was a little low. Did you plan in that particular over that you will deliver like this. And you got the wicket of Babar.
[Mohammed Siraj:]
I would like to say one thing, the ball didn't come low, because the ball was pitched in front and he tried to play it behind [square] that's why he was late.
Otherwise, the ball was executed just as I thought, the ball was, nothing happened, the ball in front played behind [behind], that's it, and the ball skidded a little, nothing else. That's why.
[Reporter:]
When you took the first wicket - Rohit and Kohli had some discussion - after that you took the game and got the wicket. Do you feel that you are getting more support from Kohli – more than from Rohit?
[Mohammed Siraj:]
What can I say? Whatever point [information] you get from a senior player it helps the whole team; it is meant for the whole team not just one player. Because when the team wins, not just one person, the whole team wins the World Cup. So, if everyone shares their experience, it is helpful for the team.