Cape Town, Jan 4 (IANS): After beating South Africa by seven wickets inside four and a half sessions in Cape Town, India captain Rohit Sharma praised fast-bowler Mohammed Siraj for his fiery spell of 6-15, which was instrumental in bowling out the hosts for just 55 in their first innings and set the base for the visitors’ series-levelling win on Thursday.
“Siraj's spell is something you don't get to see often. We kept it simple and the pitch did the rest for us. You still have to come and do it. Credit to Siraj and Bumrah and to Mukesh and Prasidh to support him in whatever way they did
“Obviously a great feat (to win a Test in Cape Town for the first time), but having said that we have to learn from whatever mistakes we made (in Centurion). The bowlers still had to put the ball in the right areas and the boys got rewarded for it,” said Rohit after the game ended.
Siraj, who got the Player of the Match award for picking his best figures in Tests, said he wished to bowl the good areas with the ball, which he missed in Centurion. “I didn't think too much and just wanted to hit the right areas.”
“Got the learnings from last game that I didn't hit the right lengths and I wanted to be relentless with my length here. When we play together with Bumrah, we analyse the wicket quicker and understand the plans. Keep supporting, keep loving.”
With the bat, India were comfortably placed at 153/4 on day one but sensationally lost six wickets for no runs. “We applied ourselves well and batted to get the 100-run lead, but not pleasing to see the last six wickets (fall for no runs). We knew that it's going to be a short game, we knew every run matters, and to get that lead was very important,” added Rohit.
He also urged his team to take pride over the win in a topsy-turvy Test in Cape Town. “When you come to this part of the world, it's always difficult but we take pride in our performance outside of India. South Africa always challenges us and for us to come out here and win, we can take pride in this performance.”
On Day Two, fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah took 6-61 to limit South Africa’s lead to 78. He was then named as joint Player of the Series alongside retiring South Africa captain Dean Elgar for picking 12 wickets in two games on his return to Test cricket.
“As I said before, this ground will hold a special place in my heart. Fond memories of my first game and am happy it went well for me. The journey started in 2018 and we wanted to create an impact in all conditions. In India, the spinners do a lot more work.”
“The team is now going through a transition, but the message is the same. It's difficult to keep coming at it; we were happy we were able to do it in this game. I didn't expect this was going to happen (shortest Test) but a great series.”
Rohit also presented Elgar with a signed jersey from the Indian team as a mark of respect for a successful international career. “Such an important player for South Africa (on Elgar). Very, very gritty and his wicket -- we spoke about how we want to get him out quickly. We appreciate what he has done for South Africa. Brilliant career - best wishes ahead!”