Mohammad Siraj Gives India the New-ball Magic They were Longing For

When India visited Australia in late 2020, despite having Mohammad Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, there was a struggle for new-ball wickets. Couple years later, India find their solution with the new-ball. Mohammad Siraj, once a white-ball run machine is now putting his hand up to single-handedly solve India’s new-ball issue.

Against Sri Lanka and now against New Zealand, Mohammad Siraj has consistently provided the early breakthroughs India were after. Nine Wickets in three games against Sri Lanka and now five wickets against New Zealand sees Mohammad Siraj master the new ball in India. His economy has been exceptional as well.

After a successful start to his Test career, Mohammad Siraj grew in confidence and started maintaining his accuracy, something he failed to do back in his early white-ball days. Now,6 years into his international career, Mohammad Siraj has learnt a lot on his way. His early spells in the last few ODIs have been proper and classical ODI spells.

Swing with the new-ball, a nagging line outside the off-stump and the wobbled seam delivery with the old ball have become crucial parts of his armory. With the wobbled seam, Siraj has become very unpredictable as he and the batter do not know the extent of movement likely. His deliveries to Avishka Fernando, which nipped back and Kusal Mendis, where the ball kept straight are clear examples.

His focus now is all on line and length, something that he has done well to maintain in Test Cricket. His growth in the last few years has been exceptional and Siraj continues to grow as India find another aggressive and intimidating fast bowler. Getting hit for boundaries is no longer a concern for a bowler who frequently saw batters target him. Despite the batters mindset, Siraj has made it clear that he will plug the ball in the same spot and mix it up with his variations.

After leading the attack in his 3rd Test at the Gabba, Siraj is finally maturing with his development in the white-ball formats too. Swinging the ball both ways, Mohammad Siraj has swiftly filled the gap created by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah.