In the recent 5-Test series against England, Mohammed Siraj was a regular feature for India, playing all 5 matches and taking 23 wickets. This is equal to Jasprit Bumrah’s record in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
In the final Test of the away series, Siraj had a big contribution by taking 9 wickets (4 in the first innings and 5 in the second). His bowling helped the Shubman Gill led team defend a 374 run total and win the match by 6 runs. Siraj’s performance in the series decider got him the Player of the Match award.
Siraj’s performance in Bumrah’s absence
Interestingly, in the 2 Tests where Bumrah was absent during the series against England, Siraj took 16 wickets. His ability to perform well in Bumrah’s absence was a surprise to many cricket fans, showing he can lead the bowling attack.
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In a chat with RevSportz, the 31-year-old Hyderabad born fast bowler spoke about his performances in England, “When I have the responsibility, my performance gets better, even in regular series.”
Bumrah’s absence creates a void
Bumrah’s presence in the team is such that his absence is very noticeable and creates a void that some consider difficult to fill. Siraj agrees he may not have Bumrah’s skill as a fast bowler. He acknowledges he is a key player for India in Test matches when Bumrah is not playing due to rest or injury. This understanding and his natural leadership qualities motivates Siraj to perform.
Talks about his responsibility
Siraj further said, “Responsibility makes me happy and increases my confidence. At Edgbaston I said people were talking about me and it was time to make that stop. I usually focus on what I do and ignore what others say because they don’t know what I have gone through.
But I felt it was time to stop the talk because it was too much.”Siraj also spoke about his performances for India when Bumrah was not playing, “Jassi Bhai (Jasprit Bumrah) was out due to his back injury and his workload was being managed, I tried to keep the bowling unit positive. I spoke to my teammates like Akash Deep and told them we can do it, we can do what we have done before.”
