Hyderabad’s Siraj fine-tunes bowling before India’s New Zealand assignment

India pacer Mohammed Siraj trained at Hyderabad’s Gymkhana Ground ahead of the New Zealand tour, working with former fielding coach T Dilip. His focused preparations reflected his commitment to improving his bowling and meeting the demands of international cricket

Hyderabad: For those who have been following India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj’s career, his visit to Gymkhana Ground was another reminder of his unbridled passion for the game and his willingness to keep improving. Siraj arrived to fine-tune his skills a day before leaving for the New Zealand tour, where India are scheduled to play ODI and Test series.

The spirited fast bowler made a quiet entry on Monday evening while his teammates were struggling to contain Punjab’s batting in the post-tea session of the ongoing Ranji Trophy match. Siraj was soon seen engaged in serious discussions as he worked on his game.

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“There is nothing special I am focusing on. I am just training before leaving for the New Zealand tour to be in the right frame of mind,” Siraj told Telangana Today after an intensive bowling session monitored by former India fielding coach T Dilip and his manager, Basanth Jain.

In many ways, Siraj has been an epitome of hard work and is among the rare cricketers who do not shy away from a demanding workload, irrespective of the team they represent.

The youthful exuberance with which he charged in to bowl to a net batter on Monday evening was a reminder that Siraj means business ahead of the New Zealand series.

His animated exchanges with Dilip after every few deliveries, as he sought to fine-tune his bowling, offered a glimpse into the work ethic that has helped make the Hyderabadi a special bowler in India’s line-up.

Having come up the hard way from a humble background, Siraj remains conscious of the demands of the Indian team. As always, he appears ready to take on any challenge that comes his way.