Who will make space for Mohammed Shami from current squad once he back in Tests? What value Mohammed Siraj or Akash Deep adds to India and who is likely to be dropped?
It’s a happy and healthy problem of plenty for India. They have the luxury of a huge, quality pace bowling department. Despite missing one of their premier fast bowlers, Mohammad Shami, the team haven't felt his absence. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj have shouldered the burden, while others have put their hands up in key moments.
The last competitive game for Shami was the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup in Ahmedabad. He was added to the red-ball squad for the South Africa trip before the selectors pulled his name out. The Uttar Pradesh-born pacer went through a successful surgery in February and missed the five-match Test series at home against England.
The veteran couldn’t feature in the IPL 2024 and the recent T20 World Cup. However, he has progressed well and has begun his practice at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). The upcoming New Zealand series could offer him a chance to make a Test comeback after 16 months. But, once the 34-year-old returns, the selection dilemma will be between Mohammad Siraj and Akash Deep.
Energetic Mohammad Siraj troubling opponent batters with pace
When it comes to moving the new ball, Mohammad Siraj avoids the top place. But he puts more focus on the seam position of the ball. Towards the start of his domestic career, he used to lose height at the point of landing. The angle of his arm and the point of release were worrisome.
But while playing first-class games, he worked on those aspects. By the time the Hyderabad-born made his Test debut at Melbourne, the wrist was straight, and he was finding the right angles to the batters.
If there is a requirement to go for an energetic bodyline spell of bowling, Siraj will raise his hand. When he stands at the top of his mark, he tries to create a straight line towards the batter. This ensures no loss of energy or as much pace from the body as possible. Over the years, he has also learnt the art of setting up the batters. There is no shortage of energy, either in bowling or going at the throat of the opposition.
In the recent Chennai Test, he found the outside edge of Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. The left-handed batter defended three inswingers in the over but was foxed by the outswinger in the fourth delivery. In 28 Tests, the 30-year-old has bagged 76 wickets at an average of a touch over 30. This is a decent record, given that 13 of those games have come in the subcontinent.
An average of 24.17 with a strike rate of nearly eight overs in South Africa shows his love affair with pace. In the current WTC 2023-25, Siraj has collected 24 scalps at an average of 25 in nine games.
Skiddy and consistent Akash Deep offers variable bounce
Akash Deep’s 11th Test delivery could have highlighted the start of a glorious career for him. But the no-ball siren cut his celebrations short. He went around the wicket and nicked off Ben Duckett with a ball that was into the corridor of uncertainty. Ollie Pope used his feet a little bit on the very first delivery. So, he went wide of the crease and hit the front pad of the batter.
The penultimate delivery of his sixth over hit the crack and jagged back to break the stumps of Zak Crawley. The England opener sat on his knees and was perplexed by the unexpected pace of the 27-year-old.
“Skiddy bowler. More pace than I thought he had. Ran the ball back in with variable bounce. It was tricky as he was getting it to nip. It was tough,” Crawley reflected at the end of the game on the feeling of facing Deep.
He knocked out the stumps of the two Bangladesh batters in the recent Chennai Test. The trajectory of both those deliveries and the mode of dismissals were pretty similar. Zakir Hasan was slow to throw his bat for the drive. Mominul Haque, on the flip side, had hardly any idea of the nip backer.
In two Tests, the Rotas-born have picked up five wickets at an average of under 25. Moreover, he has a decent experience of 33 first-class games, notching up 118 scalps at below 23. He swings the ball with 130–135 kmph speed and could be relied upon in the middle overs. The biggest advantage of his bowling is the incredible consistency with his line and length.
Experience draws distance between Siraj and Deep
Even on a red-soil track, Rohit Sharma used Deep for only 11 overs across two innings. That was the least of the three fast bowlers in the game. Rohit Sharma threw the new ball to Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj. When there was the expected turn, Ravichandran Ashwin marked his run-up.
Shami is equally good with both the new and old ball. On black-soil tracks where the ball tends to turn more, Bumrah will partner the Bengal bowler for Tests. In the case of red-soil tracks, Siraj will be India’s third pacer. He has the experience on his side.
The aim for the Rohit Sharma-led side in the next 14 weeks is mostly to clinch the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. Siraj, having played once in Australia, will carry the experience, and that will keep him ahead in the race of selection. All of India’s bowlers are equally good. It’s just about respecting the conditions and selecting an attack that suits the balance of the side.
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