Wah Siraj! From faults to a fifer
Mohammed Siraj rocked the Aussies hard by running through their batting lineup, notching up his maiden Test fifer in the process. His evolution from a T20 bowler to a Test match-winner has been wonderful to watch.
A bowling attack that was oblivious to the word ‘experience’ was put up against an incredibly intimidating Australian batting lineup. In the eyes of the viewers, this battle was long lost and it was all a case of better luck next time already, but that was not what was on the cards. India’s bowling attack, normally consisting of Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma is considered one of the most lethal in the world, but heading into the fourth Test at the bouncy Gabba in Brisbane, India was without the services of either of these four men. Three Test old Mohammed Siraj, 26, was leading the dilapidated Indian bowling attack, and it was all about whether Australia would score 500 or 600 in the first innings. It is never easy to be the lead bowler and certainly not when you are representing ‘cricket crazy’ India. The thought can be unnerving and debilitating. But what we all saw was yet another rare occurrence where just a three Test old rookie turns into a leviathan striker. Bowling along with Siraj were Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur, both playing in only their second Test, and T. Natarajan and spinner Washington Sundar, both making their debuts. It was almost certain that Australia would snatch away the Border-Gavaskar trophy from India after this plethora of injuries the Indians had to undergo.
All eyes were on the Warner-Labuschagne-Smith trio to pump up an accelerated pile of runs in the second innings which they started with a lead of 33 runs. With just two days left, the trio was looking at mouth watering possibilities of ripping apart the inexperienced bowling attack but there was this one man called Mohammed Siraj who despite all the aggression from the Aussies did not let his belief dwindle and finally upturned the Titanic. Siraj had one of the most unforgettable days of his life as he picked up his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests, with Shardul ably assisting him by munching through four scalps. Siraj’s fifer was startling in many ways. He picked up his maiden five wicket haul in only his third Test, something even the staggering Kapil Dev couldn’t achieve. Kapil got his first fifer in only his 10th Test match in 1979, almost a year after making his debut. Pace ace Jasprit Bumrah also took his maiden five wicket haul in his third Test against South Africa in 2018, and to be in Bumrah’s company must be a matter of immense pride for Siraj. Veterans of Indian pace bowling like Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath were also unable to notch up their maiden Test five-for as early as Siraj has.
During his time in the IPL, Siraj had blossomed a reputation as a run-leaking, inconsistent bowler. But he had pace and a clean, free-flowing bowling action. Kudos indeed to the coach and the captain for not giving up on him. Siraj’s mediocrity in the shortest format of the game led to him being ignored for regular international selection. Though he made his T20I debut in 2017, he played only three matches before being ostracized from the team. His only ODI cap came against Australia in early 2019, but yet again he was extremely ordinary as he was smashed all over the park, ending with miserly figures of 10–0–76–0. Siraj joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018 under Virat Kohli where he has been since, and a couple of grand performances in the 2020 edition of the IPL saw him get his name added to India’s Test squad for this very series. He was obviously not the first choice into the playing XI for any Test, but the circumstances and unorderly state of affairs led to him making his Test debut in the second Test of the series, replacing Mohammed Shami. Contrary to most people’s presupposition, Siraj dazzled on Test debut, picking up 2/40 and 3/37 in the first and second innings respectively. He then had a modest second Test, returning with figures of 1/67 and 1/90. The third Test was magical for the young paceman as he led the bowling attack for the first time in his short career, and he didn’t disappoint. After a decent 1/77 in the first innings, Siraj shone bright like a star in the second. He accounted for the humongous wickets of Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Matthew Wade in addition to those of tail-enders Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, ending the innings with five wickets for 73 runs.
After his lacklustre exhibitions in previous T20 tournaments and games for India, this was a revamp in style and plans that Siraj would have spent months concocting. There was clear remodulation in the way he went about changing his lines and length while also varying his pace. When playing the T20 format, Siraj bowled with excess pace, regularly hitting the 140kmph mark, but this quick tempo led him to be erratic and turbulent. He had no control on his line and length as he just steamed in and bowled a 145kmph delivery in the slot on middle and leg stump, only to see it disappear way over the deep square leg stands. But for his own good, Siraj realised that modern day batsmen are habituated to bowling speeds of upto 160kmph, and that line and length were major factors if he wanted to become a lethal and effective bowler. Siraj has now lessened his pace and now bowls around the 135kmph mark in order to inculcate all these variations and control into his bowling. All this renewed cognizance about the game of cricket immediately paid dividends and culminated in a fifer for Siraj in only his third Test. There was, however, a superfluity of unexpected challenges that Siraj had to deal with before this bite of success.
In November 2020, Siraj’s father passed away. Adding to his despondency was the fact that he was travelling with the Indian team in Australia at the time and was unable to attend the final rites of his late father due to quarantine restrictions. But this loss fueled the spark of intent inside Siraj into a full-fledged fire, as he went about fulfilling his father’s dream of him playing Test cricket for India. Siraj, along with Jasprit Bumrah, was also the subject of racial abuse when he was denigrated by a few Australian spectators, during the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, who were looking to debauch the spirit of the game and get on the nerves of the young fast bowler to divert his mind off the job at hand. Siraj was allegedly called a ‘monkey’ and a ‘brown dog’ by the Aussie viewers. But Siraj’s confidence was not to be shaken as he brought to the umpires’ notice the turpitude of these particular individuals who were subsequently evicted from the ground. Siraj’s boldness attracted praise from many former and current players, with Aussie rival Nathan Lyon commending his actions and saying that he had set the right example by calling out the men in question. Despite all these hurdles, Siraj marched on.
The Aussies were caught inattentive by this sudden burst of conviction displayed by this youthful bowling attack, in particular Siraj. India head coach Ravi Shastri has a big hand to play in this revival. The former all-rounder has gone about business in a very subtly destructive fashion. His counselling and belief has certainly contributed to the spirited performances of the recent past, more so after India was buried under a lump of criticism after being blown away for 36 in the first Test. His attitude and style of governance has drawn plaudits from former England captain Michael Vaughan and ex-India opener WV Raman. Largely known to be a players coach, Shastri grants his players the liberty to make their own decisions on the field, while also adding beneficial inputs here and there to assist them. Bowling coach Bharat Arun is also receiving significant adulation for his role in lifting the Indian bowling from tatters to champions. The players and the whole supporting fraternity need to be immensely appreciated for their efforts in turning the tables in the favour of the Indians. Though there is still a sense of newness in Siraj’s presence around the team as he was seen shedding tears while the national anthem of India was being played ahead of the 3rd Test.
It is a still inchoate path that Siraj is paving for himself that leads to him being a great bowler, and this is only the beginning of what can be a wonderful journey for him. Siraj’s newly found maturity is reminiscent of that of Hardik Pandya’s journey over the past year, and it’s heartening for every Indian cricket fan to see young talents nurturing their abilities in the right way. Siraj needs to continue this golden run he has just initiated, and to do that he needs to be focussed and clear in his mind about the basic way of life: keeping it simple. By the looks of affairs currently, this profusion of mishappenings in the Indian team might have just given rise to something exciting in the form of Mohammed Siraj. Even in what seemed to be an Indian team trapped inside the gloomiest of rooms in the darkest of times, Siraj has come to the fore as a messiah in disguise who has just opened the door to illuminate the room and shine a bright ray of hope just when India needed it most.
