Mohammed Siraj has taken 13 wickets in 7 innings during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, with an average of 33.40 and an economy rate of 4.08. Does Siraj justify his selection?
It’s been a tale of hardship and sorrow for India’s pace unit barring Jasprit Bumrah in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) tour. The likes of Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Nitish Reddy, and Harshit Rana have been thrown under the bus by the Australia batters. The competitive edge and the killer instinct that Bumrah possesses are desperately lacking in the rest of the bowling department.
Underwhelming run in BGT for Siraj
The absence of such traits is felt the most in the case of Mohammed Siraj who has gone absolutely hot and cold in this Test series. Despite being the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the series with 13 wickets to his name, Siraj bagged an unwanted record of bowling the second-most expensive Test spell by any India bowler in Australia. Siraj bowled a marathon 23 overs and conceded a galloping 122 runs whilst going wicketless. In doing so, he also turned out to be the most expensive India bowler in Australia’s first innings.
Siraj’s inconsistencies in form have been a point of concern for India’s think tank prior to the build-up to the Australian tour. During the two-match Test series against Bangladesh at home, the Hyderabad-born pacer was not amongst the wickets and picked up only 4 wickets across two Tests at a sub-par average of 34.5 whereas his counterpart Bumrah topped the charts by claiming 11 wickets at a stunning average of 12.81.
Siraj’s struggles against NZ
Then comes the New Zealand home series where India were blown away to bits and pieces in an unbelievable fashion. At a time when India were seriously under the pump, Siraj failed to play a damage-control role in India’s efforts to save themselves from an embarrassing 3-0 series whitewash. In the final Test of the three-match series, Bumrah’s absence was felt immensely as Siraj could not deliver the goods for India. He bowled only 6 overs in that match and went wicketless. As a result, spinners were forced to go the extra mile to fill that vacuum. Overall, the speedster had a disappointing outing in that series and averaged 58, finishing with just a couple of wickets to his name.
Detailed account on Siraj’s recent struggles in Australia
However, when the BGT tour began starting with the Perth Test, it all appeared for the moment that Siraj had regained his prime form. In helpful seaming conditions, Siraj made life hard for the Australia batters in the first innings and went at less than 1.5 RPO while picking up 2 wickets. He was equally potent in the second innings and bagged three big wickets of Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith, and later Pat Cummins to help India script a memorable win.
But as the series progressed, his form started wavering a little bit. The lack of control became far too obvious and Siraj started leaking runs at an alarming rate. Despite finishing with 4 wickets in the Adelaide Test, Siraj still went for over 4 RPO which is considered pretty high as per Test standards.
Then in the third Test, his erratic bowling in certain stages of the game allowed Australia to be in the game. His economy rate once again proved to be in excess of 4.5 RPO and did not complement Bumrah’s efforts enough to maintain the pressure on the Aussie batters. From a player who has played all three formats for India with a healthy Test average of nearly 29, Siraj needs to show some maturity in his game and adapt to the evolving conditions better.
The MCG deck has been lifeless for the bowlers. Siraj was affected the most. He failed to create enough wicket-taking opportunities and leaked runs at an atrociously high economy rate. His control was erratic for the most part with not enough deliveries landing within the corridor of uncertainty. Moreover, he did not do enough to offer support from the other end to Bumrah, leaving him with no option but to do the bulk of the heavy lifting.
Such an effort from the speedster is hurting India’s chances of dominating the Aussies in their own backyard. Therefore, experts suggest that the time has come for Siraj to step aside from the big stage and that will allow him to rediscover his lethal best.
Let’s evaluate why it is probably in the best interest of Siraj and India to drop him for the forthcoming Test series or tours in the near future.
Siraj with the first new ball
The early hours of day one of the fourth BGT Test were thoroughly dominated by the young Sam Konstas. Both Bumrah and Siraj were not expecting such an explosive onslaught from the 19-year-old debutant. Although Bumrah managed to taste some success later in the day, Siraj was not so fortunate. Siraj had some fiery exchanges with Konstas but that did not deter him one bit. In response, the youngster gave him a befitting reply and took him apart by smashing a flurry of boundaries.
Mohammed Siraj did not seem to have any plans to adjust his length when Konstas was more than willing to get down the wicket. The venom from Siraj was just not there and there were not enough balls from him which created the false shots. When you compare Siraj with Bumrah in this regard, the latter’s false shots percentage appears to be a lot higher. Siraj being the premium bowler for India in the longest format, should live up to the expectations. After the dismissal of Konstas, Bumrah was able to settle down into his rhythm and ended day one with three wickets to his name whereas Siraj toiled hard but to no avail.
Siraj with the second new ball
The change of ball brought about a change in fortune for Team India but Siraj saw no change in his fortune. In fact, things started progressing downhill for him far more quickly as compared to the first new ball. Siraj’s spell with the second new ball was often characterised by a lack of control and direction.
Runs started leaking at an alarming rate and the likes of Smith and Cummins were able to cash in on it. To add further to his woes, Siraj was guilty of conceding a few extras which included several ill-directed bouncers that flew over the batter’s head. All the pressure which was built by Bumrah after the fall of three quick wickets on day one was released in an instant.
Siraj also had very little impact on day two and allowed the sixth wicket stand between Smith and Cummins to flourish, thanks to his lackluster bowling. Any hopes of a swift end to Australia’s innings early on day two dissipated as the day went on. Siraj was the only bowler apart from Nitish Reddy to return wicketless and conceded 122 runs in 23 overs which included two wides and only three maidens.
His aggressive outlook on the field is appreciated but in such a crucial contest, results are the need of the hour. However, the 30-year-old has not been able to make any telling contributions thus far in the fourth Test.
The way ahead for Siraj
Therefore, the pacer needs a reset and some rest to figure out his strategies and game plan. He further needs to delve deeper into where he is going wrong and how he can make adjustments to improvise his bowling repertoire. Ravi Shastri also made a statement during the course of the fourth Test where he suggested Siraj to go back to the drawing board and rediscover his lost self.
Siraj announced himself on the big stage by enduring a stellar run in the last BGT tour. He played a key role in helping India clinch their second BGT title down under. He is certainly a talented prospect and needs to be groomed further which will make him more competitively astute like his counterpart Bumrah.
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