IND vs WI 1st Test: Mohammed Siraj lit up the opening session of the first Test against West Indies in Ahmedabad on Thursday, as the right-arm pacer overtook Australia's Mitchell Starc to become the highest
wicket-taker in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Siraj's fiery spell of 3 for 19 in seven overs left the visitors struggling on a surface that, at first glance, looked more batting-friendly than bowler-friendly.
The West Indies, still bruised from their record-low total of 27 in their last outing, were rocked early once again. Siraj struck in just his second over when a short delivery with extra bounce forced Tagenarine Chanderpaul into an awkward flick. Wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel timed his dive perfectly to pouch the catch, handing India the early breakthrough.
Brandon King briefly counter-attacked, driving Siraj for a boundary. However, the Hyderabad speedster responded in trademark fashion by uprooting King's middle stump, following it with his animated "Siuuu" celebration. The next over saw another casualty, with Alick Athanaze edging to KL Rahul at second slip to hand Siraj his third wicket inside the first hour.
By the end of the 12th over, West Indies had slumped to 42 for 4. Siraj accounted for three of those scalps, while Jasprit Bumrah added John Campbell's wicket in his opening burst. Kuldeep Yadav later joined the party by removing Shai Hope for 26, breaking a fifth-wicket stand of 48 between Hope and skipper Roston Chase. At lunch, Chase was holding fort unbeaten on 22.
The pitch in Ahmedabad presented a dry, brownish look rather than the green top that many had expected. Even so, Siraj extracted enough bounce and movement to unsettle the Caribbean top order. His figures of 7-3-19-3 underlined just how potent he has become with the new ball.
The 2025 season has already been a standout one for Siraj. With this performance, he not only surpassed Starc as the leading wicket-taker in the WTC but also consolidated his place as the second-highest wicket-taker in Tests this year, behind Zimbabwe's Blessing Muzarabani, who has 36 wickets. Siraj's highlights this year include a seven-wicket haul in Birmingham and nine wickets at the Oval, pivotal in India's dramatic series-levelling triumph in England.
If Thursday's opening session is any indication, Siraj looks primed to continue spearheading India's pace attack with relentless energy and precision.
