Siraj, delivering blows with a smile

Rajkot: Mohammed Siraj is India’s preferred bowler abroad, not so much in India, and that line of thinking is understandable.

His action, although repeatable, is a bit clunky, and he doesn’t do as much off the wicket or in the air as some of his other contemporaries. What he lacks, he makes up for in heart, a fetish for bending his back, and clean seam positions. 

In India, though, that’s typically not enough. That would explain why the pacer is playing only his seventh Test match in India of the 25 he has featured in overall. 

He was even rested in lieu of workload management for the second Test in Visakhapatnam, making way for Mukesh Kumar, after he finished without a wicket in the series opener in Hyderabad. 

He was brought back for the third because Siraj, besides being accurate and good at tying one end up, is infectious with his energy. The 29-year-old’s vibe is one India can do with no matter where they play. 

India needed that energy on Saturday more than they have in a while. 

After R Ashwin left to be by his ailing mother in Chennai on Friday night, the Indian team must have felt for the off-spinner, but they had a Test match to play without their premier wicket-taking option. 

India had to rely on a collective effort from the bowling unit to bowl England out for 319 when they had ended the previous evening on 207 for 2. Siraj, however, was the one who stood out, and it wasn’t even because he ended with his best figures at home (4/84). 

While the spells he orchestrated under the skin-crusting sun were typical of his workmanlike approach to every innings, his ability to let go and be in the moment was a refreshing change from what is normally expected from a paceman. 

Siraj had gone for 54 runs from ten overs on Friday with Duckett hammering him for seven of the 13 fours he eventually conceded.

The Englishman had decided to take the attack to Siraj because taking on Bumrah isn’t exactly the smartest thing to do, and neither is it prudent to go against Ashwin. Siraj may have expressed frustration, but he didn’t change it up. He stuck to the plan and got rid of Ollie Pope for 39. 

Come Saturday, he did the same. Only it wasn’t Duckett who went after him, it was Ben Stokes instead. At the other end, Foakes was busy nurdling the ball about. 

Foakes caution was enough to result in Siraj’s second scalp, a simple catch at mid-on to Rohit Sharma. This was at a time when it was beginning to feel like the skipper’s plan to start the day with the Hyderabadi wasn’t a particularly good ploy. Well, he responded, and how.  

He then followed it up with two blink-and-you-miss-it yorkers to Rehan Ahmed and James Anderson. He cleaned them up. Kept the celebration down to a minimum. Walked off. 

Perhaps Siraj doesn’t understand the weight of the runs he has helped curtail. Perhaps Siraj doesn’t think that far ahead. He was assigned a role, he was assigned a way to execute that role, and he did. Siraj’s take on bowling is as uncomplicated as his philosophy of life. 

It’s what worked for him when he fast-tracked into the Indian side during India’s historic 2020 series in Australia. It’s what has helped him here. 

India will no doubt miss Ashwin’s services, no one can replace his degree of craftsmanship and genius, but having Siraj around helps. If nothing else, he lightens the mood with that million-watt smile. At times like these, people like him are what teams need.