Mohammed Siraj ready to explode in white-ball cricket

Hyderabad: November 4, 2017. Mohammed Siraj will never forget this day. The Hyderabad pace bowler had a nightmarish start to his international career when he had figures of 4-0-53-1 against New Zealand in Rajkot in his first T20 international. The 27-year-old played two more T20 internationals but with more or less same results. He was […]

Hyderabad: November 4, 2017. Mohammed Siraj will never forget this day. The Hyderabad pace bowler had a nightmarish start to his international career when he had figures of 4-0-53-1 against New Zealand in Rajkot in his first T20 international. The 27-year-old played two more T20 internationals but with more or less same results. He was given one more opportunity in white ball cricket when he played against Australia at Adelaide in January 2019 in his only one-day match so far. It was disastrous also as he leaked 76 runs from his 10 overs.

Ironically, it was in Australia in 2020, he clawed back to international cricket with a magnificent performance in the Test series. Life has since changed a full circle for this fast bowler. He has grown in stature and his performances in the nine Tests since his debut match at Melbourne in the second Test in December (2020), has been nothing less than stunning. He has become the spearhead of the Indian attack along with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohd Shami in Test cricket.

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Given his lion-hearted show in Test cricket and his admirable performances for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, it was sooner or later for him to break into the Indian team in white-ball cricket. India’s early exit and the need to give rest to senior bowlers, Bumrah and Shami, forced the National selectors to make some changes in the Indian and Siraj was named in the three T20 matches. Incidentally, he will return to the Indian team with a match against New Zealand that gets underway in Jaipur from November 17. But it will be a different Siraj, who will be raring to go to make amends for the poor show in 2017.

Siraj was the most economical bowler of this year’s IPL. In fact, it was thought he would be in the ongoing World Cup squad but unfortunately he missed the bus. MSK Prasad, former chief national selector, said Siraj deserved a place in the white-ball cricket. “Yes he may have had a bad start in white-ball cricket. But he is a new Siraj who could be an asset to the Indian in the coming years in all formats of the games. It is important how he manages the rigorous international calendar,” said Prasad.

Siraj returned to the city after playing three matches for Hyderabad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament in Sultanpur (Haryana). New coach Milap Mewada is all praise for Siraj. “He is a confident bowler now. He has gained experience by playing alongside Bumrah, Shami, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He executes the plans with perfection. He now hits the right length required for T20 cricket. He knows where to bowl, both at the start and in the death overs as the length changes.

“Most importantly, Siraj has control of the ball. He has become deceptive with his variation — yorkers, cutters and slower ones. He sets up the dismissal of the batsman beautifully. He deserved a place in the Indian team and can be the match winner particularly with the next World Cup scheduled in Australia. He has the pace and swing to trouble the best batsman of the world.”

Mewada added that Siraj showed a lot of enthusiasm. “He is agile on the field, covering the ground and has safe hands. What I like him is that he enjoys the game.”

Left-arm seamer CV Milind, who has rediscovered his form in the Mushtaq Ali tournament, said it is a joy to watch Siraj in action. “He is bowling beautifully. He is on the rise.”

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