Aadmi ko mar ne se pehle uski sooch ko marna zaruri hai. Words immortalised by the great Amitabh Bachchan in the film Sarkar. Amitabh Bachchan to Mohammed Siraj is a real stretch. But truth be told these very words could be used by the Indian management ahead of the last day at the Oval. “We don’t care if you play Bazball, we are more than ready for it”, is India’s message to England.
What is different now in Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna not to forget Washi and Jadeja, is that they are not afraid to be hit. Even if they go for a couple of boundaries, they have learnt to back their strength and keep bowling the areas they think will fetch results. And that’s what the coaching staff has tried to instil in them.
“When you are at the top of your bowling mark, there is no one to guide or give you advice. Just like the batsman, you are on your own. You need to be clear in your mind what you plan to bowl and just go ahead and execute the plan. It can well be that you decide to bowl an outswinger and the batsmen hits you for four. Players of the quality of Root for example will do that to bowlers. All you need to do as a bowler is keep backing your strength and do what you intend to do and completely ignore what the batsman is doing. The batsman will want to get you out of your comfort zone and your job as a bowler is to stay in your comfort zone”, was the message given to the bowling unit.
This is one aspect where the current lot are stronger than their predecessors. Even if Ben Duckett or Zak Crawley get stuck into Siraj or Akash for a few overs, they, it can be surmised, will not lose focus. Siraj will still run in and bowl in the corridor outside off stump and also bowl the occasional unplayable delivery.
Take the last ball of day 3. The fielder was sent back and Crawley was expecting the bouncer. Instead, it was the booming yorker on the base of off stump. He couldn’t even react let alone get the bat down in time. Siraj had his man and India had momentum.
In the second innings, Akash and Siraj were on the money from ball one. They were unafraid and all they wanted to do was just go out and execute what they had planned in their minds. India’s former bowling coach Bharat Arun had once said it nicely, “That’s all you need to do as a bowler you see. When there is help on offer, you back your strengths and skill sets. You are in the team because you have a certain set of skills. All you need to do is be mentally ready to keep believing in your own skill set”.
Mental strength, more than anything, is what has set this team apart in this series. Siraj is the best example. Day in and day out he keeps doing what he is best known for in Test cricket. Produce match-winning performances when the chips are down.
Early signs are this team is ready. Maybe, today at the Oval, will give them their identity.
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