Siraj needs to back his consistency to regain form: Bharat Arun

India were ranked No 1 in Tests for around 42 months and were a dominant white-ball team as well.

Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav hunted in a pack. There was depth as well with options in Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj.

That level of success has eluded India in 2022. And unsurprisingly, the fast bowling unit hasn’t been able to fire during this period.

The year began with defeats in two Tests in South Africa, leading to a 1-2 series loss after taking the lead. There was further setback in the postponed fifth Test in England played in July, the hosts managing to draw the series 2-2. As the focus shifts to next month’s T20 World Cup in Australia, India are struggling to find the right fast bowling combination.

One pacer on whom India had pinned their hopes to provide the edge was Hyderabad’s Siraj. Starting with 13 wickets in three Tests in the 2020-21 series win in Australia led to high expectations from the wiry bowler. With seniors Bumrah and Shami injured, Siraj rose to the occasion and led the bowling attack.

His 5/73 in the second innings of the epic Gabba Test is the stuff of folklore as it included the prized scalps of Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, helping India to restrict the victory target to 329 and win by three wickets.

It led to high expectations. But post the series he has shone only in spurts. He played a big role in the victory at Lord’s last year, but his consistency went missing. He got injured at a crucial juncture in the second Test at Johannesburg as South Africa were chasing a tricky target of 240. With the pressure eased, they won by seven wickets. He also would have been disappointed not to make an impact in the second innings of the fifth Test against England, at Edgbaston in July, when the hosts pulled off a memorable chase of 378 runs, losing just three wickets. Siraj was the most expensive bowler conceding 98 runs in 15 overs.

All this indicates there is some way to go for him to be considered a finished article. He himself seems to have realised, taking up an assignment with Warwickshire (Edgbaston based) in County cricket. The start was impressive as he took a five-for (24-6-82-5) against Somerset.

Bharat Arun, the previous India bowling coach under whom Siraj made his debut for Hyderabad in first-class cricket and for India, feels the experience will help. “For any fast bowler playing County cricket is a great experience because to be successful you need to be consistent also, which is what we have been preaching to him. And in England when you are playing as a professional they expect you to perform, so that is also a quite a pressure which the bowler has to undergo. In any field to be successful you will have to handle pressure; there is no activity where there is no pressure, and the returns are very good,” said Arun.

Doing everything on his own in the County circuit will also help Siraj become his own man. “When you are living alone, when there are no friends, no acquaintances, you have to do everything yourself. Sport is all about your character. What you see on the ground is a reflection of what you are within. It does play a very big role in somebody becoming more self-sufficient, confident. Because you are a professional they give you that importance; you can take it in a nice way or you can wilt under pressure. Good guys use all these pressure situations to further their career. A person like Siraj will benefit. He will improve leaps and bounds. That is the best thing that has happened to him.”

Arun, when he first saw Siraj in 2016, what impressed by his fearlessness and his skiddy bowling and ability to generate movement. He promptly picked him to play for Hyderabad.

For the highly-rated bowling coach, Siraj’s strength lies in being consistent. “What is good about Siraj is he knows his strengths and wants to stick to them; his strength is consistency. And if he tries to be something else, blast the opposition, it won’t work. But if he sticks to his strengths, he could blast the opposition. It is like: “I don’t chase money, I chase excellence; if I chase excellence then money is a byproduct”.

Similarly for him, it is not about wickets, it is consistency, understanding the areas to bowl to a batsman and constantly exploiting that. Therein lies the key for Siraj.”