Siraj credits Bumrah for turnaround after difficult home season

PTI, Dec 2, 2024, 11:43 AM IST

Canberra: Back in form with five wickets in India’s brilliant come-from-behind win in the Perth Test against Australia, Mohammed Siraj has credited his senior pace colleague and attack spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for helping him turn things around after an ordinary home series against New Zealand.

The 30-year-old endured a difficult home season, managing just two wickets in two Tests during India’s disastrous 0-3 loss to New Zealand prior to the tour Down Under, but returned to his best in the opening Test against Australia.

Siraj said it was a chat with stand-in skipper and No.1 ranked Test bowler Bumrah prior to the tour that helped him make a comeback in the series-opener in Perth where India recovered from a first innings collapse to 150 for a massive 295-run triumph.

“I always keep talking to Jassi bhai (Bumrah),” Siraj said after the India’s six-wicket win over Australian Prime Minister’s XI in a practice match here on Sunday.

“Even before the first match, I spoke with him about what I was going through. And he just told me one thing — don’t run (chase) after wickets, just keep bowling consistently in one area and enjoy your bowling. If you still don’t get wickets, then you come ask me.

“So I enjoyed my bowling and I got wickets as well,” he added.

Siraj also spoke to former India bowling coach Bharat Arun to help find his centre.

“I spoke with Bharat Arun sir, that this is what’s happening with me, because he has known me for a while and he has seen my bowling from long time back. So, he just told me to enjoy and not run after wickets. Just enjoy and you’ll get wickets.

“And before travelling, I met (fielding coach) Dilip sir in Hyderabad and we practised together as well. So, it felt good and now I’m enjoying.

“Morne (Morkel, India’s current bowling coach) keeps telling me that ‘you are a warrior’. ‘You’ll get us wickets, but you just keep enjoying your bowling’.”

Siraj seemed to be in good rhythm in the warm-up match against the Prime Minister’s XI, which was his first game with a pink ball. He got the wicket of former Australian Test batter Matthew Renshaw.

The second Test against Australia, a day-night game, begins in Adelaide from Friday. It would be the first time that Siraj would be bowling with the pink ball under lights.

“The (pink) ball has a synthetic feeling, it’s different from the red ball. The seam is very hard. It’s bright, and quite big. The more you practice with it, the better you get,” Siraj said.

“I think with the pink-ball, it’s better to bowl back of length. Because pitching it up, there’s not a lot of swing, so the more you hit the deck and get it to seam, it will be better for us,” he noted.

“I have heard that the ball swings a lot under the lights but I haven’t yet bowled with it under lights. So when we go to Adelaide and practice, we will try that. And the more practice we get, we’ll know more about what we have to do.”