There have been plenty of talks to omit Mohammed Siraj, especially after New Zealand’s historic win over India last week.
Since the Cape Town Test earlier this year, Mohammed Siraj has 12 wickets at 42.83 runs apiece in 14 innings. He has been wicketless nine times, accounting for 64.28% of total innings. All this while playing at home.
His pace has consistently been below 135 km/h, which doesn’t work on Indian decks unless it is similar to the one in Bengaluru during the first innings. Those pitches are hardly available, and most surfaces in the subcontinent are dry and low. His new-ball bowling is futile; he has only a solitary wicket in 378 balls while going at 4.17 runs per over in the first 20 overs.
He has often erred on the shorter side and ended up getting whacked. Since his pace has been low, Siraj hasn’t got any reverse swing with the old ball, either. There are several reasons behind his tepid performances, but the most significant one has been playing excessively across formats, which has drained him.
Since 2023, Siraj has played 51 matches across formats, the most among Indian pacers, with most of them in longer formats. He has featured in 15 Tests, the joint second-most, while 28 ODIs, the sixth-most and most among Indian pacers. He has also played in the T20 World Cup 2024 and two seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL) amidst all this.
There have been plenty of talks to omit him, especially after New Zealand’s historic win over India last week. That Akash Deep has taken 8 wickets at 23.12 runs apiece in three Test matches to start his career has exacerbated Siraj’s case. He has done what Siraj couldn’t – taking wickets with the new ball, for 7 of his eight Test wickets have come in the first 15 overs at an average of 7.85.
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He is a quintessential Indian conditions bowler. Akash bowls on that good-length area and zooms on the stumps, bringing LBW and bowled in play. Data published by cricket.com revealed Akash bowled 73.6% of deliveries between the 6-8 meter mark and hit the stumps 27.3% of the time.
His meteoric rise and Siraj’s decline together made a case to start with Akash ahead of Siraj in the next game. That shouldn’t be an issue; India can do that and will likely get better results. However, India should be cautious about dropping Siraj in Australia and not prefer Akash.
Siraj’s numbers have historically been mediocre at home but found ways to succeed in alien conditions. He was fabulous on his maiden Australia tour, ending as India’s leading wicket-taker despite playing only three games. He took 13 wickets at an average of 29.54 in six innings, including a five-wicket haul.
He hit the deck hard, especially in that last match at The Gabba, and consistently got an additional kick off the deck with variable bounce. Those tracks always provide extra zip, and Siraj’s natural lengths were suited to those conditions. Even his lines are more ideal than Akash’s for Australian conditions, for bowlers need to shift their area of attack slightly towards the off-stump or outside it, especially when the ball gets old.
Akash mostly attacks the stumps, which might not be an ideal line to target for tracks Down Under. Even his length should be slightly shorter than the 6-7 meter mark, so Akash might struggle to make these changes immediately after a home rubber. That doesn’t mean Akash can’t be effective; he still hits the seam and hurries the batter, which will be handy.
Mohammed Shami is not a sure starter, and even if he plays, he won’t have enough red-ball games as preparation. Akash has never played in Australia, and drafting him in such a big event can always backfire. Maybe Siraj should be rested for the next two games against New Zealand to avoid burning him out further, but India should not risk dropping him for the Australia tour.
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