Image Credit- AP
The day that made Mohammed Siraj three years ago is
just one week away. The day he transitioned from being a heavyweight champion
to becoming a target with the poorest IPL economy out of 92 bowlers who had
bowled at least 100 overs prior to that.
The day he demonstrated his ability to nip out extremely
skilled batters and make the new ball dance to his melodies. In a sea of T20s
where performances come and go, Siraj stood out that evening.
Siraj and Mohammed Shami agreed to take on the task of
leading India’s pace pack when Jasprit Bumrah had a back ailment and missed ten
months of action. He was no longer the hero’s sidekick; now, he was a potential
blockbuster star.
His desire to learn new things and improve himself
contributed to some of his advancement. Having a sounding board like Bharat
Arun, who assisted him in honing his abilities, was beneficial. Siraj wasn’t
the old-ball bowler he is today, despite the fact that he could move the ball
both ways in 2020.
He is now relied upon by Rohit Sharma to perform in
all stages. Even if he doesn’t get off to a good start, the repercussions don’t
linger long enough to affect his subsequent spell. Siraj had a rough start
against Pakistan in his opening World Cup game yesterday. There was no swing
where he was looking. In an effort to bowl fully, he continued to bowl half
volleys, which Imam-ul-Haq picked off for three boundaries in his first over.
Siraj subsequently started to drastically cut his
lengths. He was charging in and hard-hitting the floor. The red-soil surface
would have provided him with more zip and bounce, but at least the aim was to
not err on the fuller side. This was not the case with the black-soil deck. He
trapped Abdullah Shafique lbw with the last delivery of his fourth over thanks
to a length ball that kept just a little bit low. Siraj mentioned this during
the news conference held after the game.
The greatest wicket of the day may have been Siraj’s
second. It assisted in ending a strong 82-run partnership between Babar Azam
and Mohammad Rizwan. After being brought back, he struck in the 30th over, the
second of a fresh period, with a skiddy cross-seam delivery that outpaced
Babar’s attempt to run one down to deep third, a shot that Babar takes satisfaction
in playing better than most. The floodgates were opened with that wicket.
Pakistan’s score went from 155 for 2 and cruising to 191 all out.
“I started bowling cross-seam from the third
over,” Siraj said when asked about how he found his rhythm. “In the
end, there were chances of the ball reversing. When I was bowling with the
seam, it was coming onto the bat easily. With cross-seam, I thought there could
be low bounce; sometimes you [also] get extra bounce. It worked. You saw the
result.”
The result was indeed a fine one. Bumrah walked away
with the honours, and deservedly so, but it helped to a great extent that he
had an able support cast on the night, with Siraj playing more than just a
cameo.