'Like a World Cup final': Siraj relishes rare opportunity to play a decider

Mohammed Siraj has likened Sunday's decider against New Zealand to a World Cup final. Elevating a bilateral contest to such heights may be an outlier by analogy, but it underscores just how tough these New Zealanders have been for India in the first two ODIs.

With the team 1-1 in the three-match series, there is everything to play for at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. "Such situations are very rare in India, so it is a great opportunity for us," Siraj said on the eve of the game. "Almost like a World Cup final."

New Zealand are yet to win an ODI bilateral series in India in seven previous attempts. They have won just nine out of 41 completed ODI matches against India in India and their win in the second ODI in Rajkot was their first against India after eight consecutive losses since 2023. In India, they had not beaten the home team since 2017.

"The atmosphere is very good because we are getting a lot of input from the seniors. We won the first match and then played the second, so it feels like a high-pressure situation," the India spearhead said.

Daryl Mitchell has been the perennial tormentor, having scored big against India in recent encounters, including in the two games at the 2023 World Cup where he got two hundreds. In the present series, he has scores of 84 and 131*, the second effort earning him the POTM award. Overall, in 10 innings he has 604 runs versus India at an average of 67.11, including three centuries and two fifties. He will be the key wicket on Sunday, as always.

"We tried our best to get him out (in Rajkot). We had a game plan for him. As you can see, even a world-class batter can make mistakes. If we had grabbed that opportunity (a catch was dropped), the scenario would have been different.

"The way he bats against spin, especially in the middle overs – taking singles and doubles – shows that he is thinking clearly and batting with a plan. In Rajkot, there wasn't much dew and the ball was coming nicely onto the bat. Our plan was to get him out as early as possible, and we will try to do the same in this match," Siraj said.

Siraj, however, dismissed concerns about India's bowling, which has not actually managed to be effective against the New Zealanders. "I don't think there is any concern. It is always about one wicket. The bowling is doing well – once you get that one wicket, you will see a different bowler with a different confidence. I don't see any concern."

Siraj does not remember when he last captained a side – he represented Charminar and Sporting XI in the Hyderabad league. Next week he will lead Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy.

"It is a great honour for me to captain Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy. As a player, it is a dream to represent your state and then lead it. It is a very proud moment for me.

"We are playing against Mumbai, which is one of the best teams at the state level, so it will be very challenging. I like challenges, so I will stay calm and accept it positively," he said.

Hyderabad will be up against Mumbai in a home game from January 22 in an Elite Group D fixture, followed by the last league fixture, also at home, against Chhattisgarh from January 29.