India speedster Mohammed Siraj said that he relished the responsibility of leading the attack in pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, describing his stunning six-wicket haul as “unbelievable” after putting India ahead in the second Test against England on Friday. Siraj’s 6/70 kept India ahead after double hundreds from Jamie Smith (184 not out off 207) and Harry Brook (158 off 234) as well.

“It’s unbelievable because I was waiting for a long time. I have been bowling well but not getting wickets. I have only got four-wicket hauls here, so getting six here is very special,” Siraj said.

Siraj struck twice in the second over of the day to leave England struggling at 84 for 5 before Brook and Smith jointly helped the hosts’ remarkable recovery with a 303-run stand off 368 balls. Siraj, however, bounced back to dismiss the tail as England ended with 407 all out in response to India’s mammoth 587 all out.

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“The wicket was very slow but when you are given a responsibility to lead the attack, my aim was to not try too much and just bowl in the right areas and bowl with discipline. My mindset was to keep it tight and not give away runs,” he said. “It’s Akash Deep’s third or fourth match, same for Prasidh, so I was just focused on staying consistent and building pressure. I feel like trying different things, but I have to stay consistent,” he said.

“I love responsibility, I love the challenge. We are quite ahead right now but the plan is to get as many runs on the board because we know their attacking mindset.” he said. “Day by day, the pitch is slowing down more. If you keep bowling in one area… If you start leaking runs, it’s hard to stop that. We saw that with Smith and Brook. Patience is very important here.”