Siraj, who claimed one for 36 in the first ODI, kept the ball in the off-stump channel, confusing the Zimbabwe batters with the late swing.
The 28-year-old from Hyderabad was rewarded for his consistency as flyhalf Takudzwanashe Kaitano gained an advantage in the ninth for Sanju Samson to land a one-handed stunner.
“In the West Indies and England I also played well, my pace was good in the first game as well, so my plan was to hit an area consistently without worrying about whether I would get wickets or not,” said Siraj, who took a wicket for 16 years. takes place in eight overs, said at the post-match press conference.
With 40 wickets in 13 Tests, Siraj impressed in red-ball cricket but lacked consistency in white-ball play.
When asked if he had made any changes to white ball cricket, Siraj said: “I kept believing in myself because ups and downs are a part of everyone’s life so I kept believing that I can do it no matter if it’s a white ball or a red ball.
“So I just wanted to keep hitting the right areas and throwing point balls to put pressure on the opposition. Starting with the new ball, I went for wickets a few times, but as you know, the white ball doesn’t swing much, so I was planning on consistently hitting an area and making maiden bowls.”
In five T20Is, Siraj took just five wickets, while busting 13 wickets in 10 ODIs.
Chasing 162 to win, India were 97-4 at the end of the 14th before Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 43 from 39 balls brought the visitors home with 24.2 overs to go.
When asked if there were any worrying signs in the squad, Siraj replied: “Because the total was 160 or something. We were 100 for 4 but there was no panic in the locker room because we only needed 40 runs after Ishan Kishan’s wicket.”
current head of National Cricket Academy (NCA) VVS Laxman has taken over the role of India’s head coach for the Zimbabwe tour with Rahul Dravid enjoying a break ahead of the Asian Cup.
When asked about Laxman’s role, Siraj said: “Laxman sir was part of Sunrisers Hyderabad (in IPL) when I was first selected. He understands my skills and gives me a lot of confidence and it feels good when a coach is there.”
