Mohammed Siraj has bowled 185.3 overs in the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar trophy. He picked up 23 wickets and was the leading wicket-taker of the series. Before this, Siraj also managed to play all five Tests in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and pick 20 wickets. While there has been plenty of praise showered on Siraj, a former Indian cricketer did mention that, similar to Bumrah, Siraj’s workload too needs to be managed.
“Workload management will be crucial to prevent Siraj from getting injured in the future,” RP Singh said speaking to PTI Basha. “Fast bowlers are at higher risk of injury when they play too many matches in a short time. His workload should be managed just like we did with Bumrah.” Giving the example of Jasprit Bumrah Singh said, “It’s because of better workload management, Bumrah bowled brilliantly in both ODI and T20 World Cups. “Siraj is also in the same league. To protect him from injuries, we need to seriously focus on his workload, sooner or later.”
“Siraj was the only bowler who played all five Tests and bowled with full energy and intensity in each match,” noted Singh. “The last ball of the series, which bowled out the batsman, was one of his top five fastest deliveries in the series.” Siraj delivered a 143 kmph yorker to clean up Gus Atkinson and seal India’s win in the fifth Test. It was the fifth-fastest ball he bowled in the series.”
“This shows that he never lacked effort. He focused on bowling with the right line and length and contributed beyond expectations for the team. His fitness and rhythm were excellent throughout,” Singh said.
The 39-year-old also mentioned that Siraj’s role as a support bowler is one of the many factors why Bumrah is successful. “Just like batsmen need partnerships, bowlers also prefer bowling in pairs. Bumrah tends to take more wickets and his unique action troubles batters more,” the former left-arm bowler said.
“Siraj’s role is to build pressure from his end, and he does that very well. Their partnership has been special and delivered great performances. When Bumrah is not in the team, Siraj automatically becomes our lead fast bowler.”
