India’s fast bowler Mohammed Siraj was delighted with his personal performance on the opening day of the first Test match against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Thursday.

Siraj was the pick of the Indian bowlers as he returned with impressive figures of 4-40 in 14 overs he bowled. The fast bowler accounted for Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Alick Athanaze, Brandon King, and Roston Chase.

Siraj bowled with a wobble seam and troubled the West Indies batters with natural variations. The 31-year-old from Hyderabad was right on the money and delivered for the team.

Speaking at the end of day’s play, Siraj told reporters in the press conference, “We got a very good start with the ball. You don’t expect to get green tops in India too often. We got one here, so I was very excited. We got a seaming track when he played New Zealand in Bengaluru last year. After that, we got one here. So, I was very excited and enjoyed it a lot.”

Siraj revealed he really enjoyed Brandon King’s wicket after the right-hander decided to leave an incoming delivery.

Siraj added, “I enjoyed Brandon King’s wicket. I have planned it in my mind and the execution was exactly as I wanted. The earlier balls were hitting the pads, so I thought I’ll bowl a stump line. I did exactly that and felt really good.”

Meanwhile, Siraj said the wobble seam has given him a lot of success in the recent past.

Siraj added, “In 2018, I had a natural in-swinger. When the in-swingers stopped, the out-swingers started automatically. Then I started practicing the wobble seam delivery and grew confident about it. Wobble seam has given me a lot of success in international cricket. I have realized this is an important weapon for me. When the out-swinger doesn’t work, I have the wobble seam delivery.”

At lunch on the second day, India were 218-3, leading by 56 runs.