It has been a while since India’s speedster Jasprit Bumrah played for India. After a back injury, he was ruled out from international cricket. But Bumrah is in the headlines as he is the go-to bowler for advice for pacer Mohammed Siraj, who is struggling with his form. The 29-year-old pacer who is currently taking part in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy revealed the conversation he had with Bumrah.
Speaking on the RCB podcast, Siraj said, “I called Jassi bhai (Jasprit Bumrah) and told him what was happening to me. What can I do better? He told me performance is not in your hands. You only have the ball and you can just bowl. Just think of your last season and evaluate. How batters are playing against you? You watch the videos of a batsman and see how he plays you. You have to be a step ahead of them. That’s when we will have success. We cannot rely on past glories alone. You watch videos but learn to stay ahead of the batsman. How you prepare yourself ahead of the match is important’.
Siraj is currently leading the Indian pace attack with Mohammed Shami in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after Bumrah was ruled out of the series. The Hyderabad-based bowler, who has scalped a total of 47 wickets in 18 Test matches, picked only one wicket in the three Tests in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy he played. In the fourth Test, he was replaced by Shami.
Siraj also spoke about the wholesome competition among the bowlers in the Indian squad.
“When we were in England, Ishant Sharma and Mohammad Shami bhai were telling me what length works on those pitches. Where does it seams or swing from? When you learn things, there is a huge improvement in skill. As a bowler, it’s important to keep improving and keep learning. I take a look in my game to see what I planned, and whether I managed to execute it or not. Performance is secondary. Did the ball land where I wanted it to land? If it didn’t, what was the reason behind it? This is the conversation which I have with myself after every game and then I work on those shortcomings and try to execute them in the next match” said Siraj.
The talented young pacer made his red ball debut against Australia in the 2020 series and picked up 13 wickets including a five-wicket haul in the second innings in the fourth Test in Brisbane. He had lost his father Mohammed Gous while representing India in Australia.
“When my dad passed away I went to practice the next day. Ravi sir said to me “You would take five wickets in this series, this is your father's blessing”.
"When I took five wickets in Brisbane, he told me during team dinner what he had told me about the five-wicket haul. It was my father’s dream to see me play for India and I dedicate everything in my career to him,” said Siraj.