New Delhi, Jan 17 (IANS): Mohammed Siraj's talent is what helps him bowl in-cutters and not any cracks on the pitch in Brisbane, said batting great Sachin Tendulkar on Saturday. Siraj was thrust into the role of India's lead fast bowler in just the third Test of his career due to Jasprit Bumrah being ruled out of the ongoing fourth and final Test against Australia.

Siraj, a 26-year-old right arm fast bowler, ended up providing India the breakthrough in the form of the important wicket of Australia opener David Warner. Tendulkar said that he had noticed a few people saying that Siraj's deliveries hit a crack on the pitch.

"When Mohammad Siraj was bowling, I heard a couple of guys say, 'the ball hit the crack and nipped back,' something which I observed was completely different. Siraj while bowling the out-swinger, would get his fingers behind the ball, and release the ball. The seam is pointing towards first slip or sometimes towards second slip," said Tendulkar on his Youtube channel.

"When he wanted to bowl the in-cutter which moves off the seam, then he would keep the shine on the off-side. He would then go cross-seam. That's when the commentators also noticed that it was a scrambled seam. So I don't think the movement was off the crack, but it was Siraj's talent, his ability to bowl those in-cutters that made it happen," the former India captain emphasised.

Siraj took the solitary wicket of Warner as India dismissed Australia for 369. In reply, the visitors were on 62/2 at Stumps on the second day on Saturday.