Since Siraj made his Check debut, solely 4 quick bowlers have delivered extra overs than him: 949.5. Jasprit Bumrah is not considered one of these 4.
Mohammed Siraj has delivered 65.3 overs already in the India vs England Test series. Not even Ravindra Jadeja has bowled more overs than him. He’s been the definition of a ‘workhorse’ ever since he made his Test debut for India on December 26, 2020. Yet hardly, if ever, does he get the credit.
Yes, a bowler’s job is to get wickets. Siraj has also failed to succeed even in some pace-friendly conditions in the past. But unlike Jasprit Bumrah, who’s often rested and rotated, Siraj doesn’t get the luxury to catch his breath. As India’s second pacer, his performance hasn’t always been great. But no one can question his effort.
Siraj deserves more credit, says Morkel
Morne Morkel, India’s assistant/bowling coach, thinks that people aren’t appreciative of Siraj, who works tirelessly. Yes, he’s going for magic balls too often. Sometimes lets the emotions get the better of him. But at the end of the day, Siraj is the one who bowls the most out of any Indian fast bowler.
“Siraj is a guy that I have a lot of respect for. He pushes his body to the limit. He can try too hard at times and that can make you inconsistent. But he really puts his heart on his sleeve. He does the dirty job for the team, and that doesn’t reflect in the wickets column at times,” Morkel told reporters after day four in Birmingham.
“I think sometimes the guilty part of him is trying too hard so for us. It’s about managing that sort of aggression and managing that intensity because he really bowls with his heart on his sleeve. I think sometimes those sorts of things can give you that inconsistency.”
After a dry spell in the Headingley Test, Siraj stood up in Bumrah’s absence at Edgbaston. The added responsibility brought the best out of him. But Morkel realises that even when Siraj wasn’t getting the wickets, the effort was always there, and the Indian dressing room always valued that.
“In a match that he’s now the leader of the attack, he got the wickets, but for me, in terms of effort and energy and with a sore body, he’s always done and will put his hand up, and he wants to bowl that over. I don’t think sometimes we give him enough credit for that,” he added.
