The fifth India vs England Test at the Oval is Mohammed Siraj’s 41st for India. He has been a skilful, courageous, tireless and passionate bowler for India across these 41 Tests.
Siraj came into Test cricket at the end of 2020, debuting in India’s stirring Border-Gavaskar Trophy win in Australia. At the time he emerged, he looked like the natural successor in what had become a great Indian pace attack.
From 2018 onwards, India had Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma forming a terrific trio, with Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar having had their moments too. But three years on, age and form were catching up with a few of them. That is when Siraj entered the scene, and made rapid strides in international cricket.
With or without Bumrah
For someone joining an illustrious band of pacers, a quirky stat has emerged about Siraj: his bowling stats with Bumrah in the team versus without. You would normally assume that the presence of a champion like Bumrah lifts the rest of the attack, because the opposition will find themselves in weaker situations when he’s around.
However, in 25 Tests alongside Bumrah, Siraj has taken 74 wickets at an average of 35.00, and a strike rate of 57.3. In 16 Tests without Bumrah – including the ongoing fifth Test vs England – Siraj has 44 wickets at 25.6, and a strike rate of 45.2.
When both Bumrah and Shami are not there, Siraj has 38 wickets in 13 Tests, averaging 23.1 and striking at 41.8 – absolutely elite numbers.
How and why is this happening?
There is no cricketing reason. There could be a psychological reason. Perhaps Siraj thrives when he has to step up as the main man, and discovers a new layer in his game. He has the ability to bowl the magic ball that swings sharply at pace or seams wickedly. But when he has to be the leader of the attack, he seems to find consistency too..
Essentially, it is what Bumrah does. Bumrah’s magic balls are the ones that stick in memory, but the pressure he builds is by bowling in the channel and at the lengths that batsmen find most awkward. In Bumrah’s absence, Siraj dons that mantle.
“When I get responsibility, I feel very proud. When you are the leader of the attack for your country, it feels very good. And performing in that situation makes me feel really good,” Siraj had reflected during this England series, when the stat was put to him.
But eventually, these numbers are more of a curiosity than a pattern. The number that should be focused on with Siraj is more concrete.
The workload
Since his debut on Boxing Day in 2020, no Indian pacer has bowled more balls than Siraj has. He has sent down 6238 balls, and remarkably, each of those has been bowled with the same intensity. Some might have been bowled with greater control, some with greater nous – but there has been no lack of effort from Ball 1 to Ball 6238.
Worldwide, Siraj has the fifth highest workload of all among pacers since his debut. Only Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Tim Southee and James Anderson have bowled more in Tests – and two of them are now retired.
And no Indian has played more than the 41 Tests Siraj has played in that time period. He has combined that with 43 ODIs, and 13 T20Is, not to forget a full IPL season every year. It’s a workload that is heavier than almost anyone else in international cricket.
It’s a tribute to Siraj’s fitness, his natural strength, his will – and the fluidity of his action too. Without any of these, it would have been impossible to shoulder the kind of burden he has.
All of these qualities were on show on Day 2 of the fifth Test. England had the perfect morning, bowling India out in a jiffy and then seeing Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley blast runs. At lunch, England were 109 for 1 in 16 overs. The second session is what turned things around for India, and the heart of that turnaround was an eight-over spell by Siraj during which he took out Ollie Pope, Joe Root and Jacob Bethel.
Siraj showed what a handful he could be when his rhythm was right, he bowled some beautiful deliveries without losing his lengths, and he did it for a very long spell.
If he can bottle that rhythm and consistency and deploy it more often, India could see some very special moments from Siraj.