Shamik Chakrabarty in Chennai
On the fourth morning of the first Test between India and Bangladesh here at Chepauk, which turned out to be the final session of the game, Mohammed Siraj was given a long spell by Rohit Sharma. The fast bowler bowled seven overs, had five maidens and gave away just 12 runs. But he didn’t get a wicket. On several occasions, the ball narrowly missed the outside edge and Najmul Hossain Shanto looked shaky.
In fact, the spell was so good that Ravichandran Ashwin had to wait for almost an hour before he was brought into the attack. The off-spinner spoke about it after the game. “That extended spell from Siraj shouldn’t go unnoticed,” said Ashwin. “Because I thought, pinning your back on a Day 4 pitch where it has gotten a bit slow, I thought he bowled fantastically, with his heart out and deserved that extra over he got.”
The scoreboard deals with arid numbers and doesn’t always tell the true story. Siraj’s match figures read: 20.1-6-62-2. Decent, but nothing spectacular. After making his Test debut in December 2020, the 30-year-old has played 28 matches, taking 76 wickets, including three five-fors, at an average of 29.72. But there’s a sharp contrast. In 16 away Tests, he has accounted for 56 scalps at an average of 27.85, while in 11 home games, he has taken 15 wickets at an average of 34.06. The other Test he played was at a neutral venue; the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval, where he took five wickets (4/108 and 1/80) across both innings.
Along with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, Siraj forms a world-class pace trio. But while the other two fast bowlers have been equally effective in Indian conditions, the Hyderabad quick has so far failed to crack the ‘home’ code. Even during his spell yesterday, it felt like he was a couple of feet short. A little bit fuller, and he probably would have got those edges.
You might also enjoy:
Down the memory lane at Ramakrishnapuram 1st Street. Where it all started for @ashwinravi99.
Take a digital tour with @rohitjuglan.@ThumsUpOfficial @BCCI @BoriaMajumdar @CricSubhayan #RaviAshwin #INDvBAN pic.twitter.com/H11HfWWSjN
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) September 23, 2024
Bharat Arun, the former India bowling coach, agrees. “Any bowler who relies on swing should be bowling up,” Arun told RevSportz. “I think he (Siraj) did that in the first innings. He is pretty fine. He bowled well in the first innings. I’m quite happy the way he has come up.”
Mahboob Ahmed, the secretary of the Charminar Cricket club, Hyderabad, has seen Siraj grow up and he laments the fact that Arun is no longer India’s bowling coach. “He (Siraj) had a great tuning with Bharat Arun,” Ahmed told this website. “Not having Bharat Arun by his side could be a minus point.”
Watching Siraj in the recent matches, Ahmed feels that the fast bowler is not in perfect rhythm. “He has a lethal delivery, the one that rears off good length. Somehow, he is not getting that kick, but I think he will sort it out.”
Arun was instrumental in making India a top fast-bowling force. The current India bowling coach, Morne Morkel, has come into a “set-up that operates by itself”, by his own admission. Of course, he will do the fine-tuning. Maybe, he will have a word with Siraj about the length to bowl on Indian pitches.
For more sports content: https://revsportz.in/