In the middle of Mohammed Siraj’s interview with the host broadcaster during the innings break on Sunday, he turned emotional. He waved his arms towards the gallery where his parents and extended family sat. He spoke about the pain of leaving Royal Challengers Bangalore, after they refused to retain him in the last auction. “I have played seven years for RCB,” he said, sighing. He then dwelled on the India snub for the Champions Trophy. “At one time, I was not able to digest it,” he said.
There were times, too, when he might have felt that he was not getting the recognition he deserves, that he is being perennially overshadowed by the shadows Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami cast.
But in his fresh chapter with Gujarat Titans, Siraj has reinforced the gifts that make him one of the most valuable Indian bowlers of his time. He might not exude the X-factor of Bumrah, neither his snap or bite or control, or the zip of Shami, but he is in his own ways a genuine wicket-taker across formats. This season of revelation, he has already gobbled up nine scalps in four games, more than half the wickets he had managed from thrice as many games last edition, four of them arriving against former team Sunrisers Hyderabad.
In his burst of 4-0-17-0 on Sunday, he demonstrated all his wares. His lethal out-swinger, the wobble-seaming devil that holds the line or break back into the right-handed batsman, the cross-seamed cutter delivered without a marked change in arm speed, the inch-perfect in-swinging yorker on middle and leg stump and the clever short-ball. He showed his most important attribute too—the jaan laga denge” attitude.
His Hyderabad teammate Akshath Reddy sheds more light on his personality, traits that spreadsheets cannot quantify. “He is mentally tough. “He has the jaan laga denge attitude. Even if a couple of matches don’t go his way he won’t feel down. He will pick himself up,” he says. “He wants to give his 150 per cent. He is not worried about injuries he might sustain when trying hard. Whenever there is a setback he tries harder to give a comeback and this is his USP,” he adds.
Siraj’s resurgence has arrived at a time when his value with the white-ball has been questioned. He has featured in neither white-ball formats for his country this year, despite impressive numbers and remarkable fitness. Even his jaan laga denge attitude has been put to test. He has been on the fringes of the Indian setup recently, including for the Champions Trophy. Rohit Sharma and the selectors reportedly pointed to his struggles with the old ball as the reason for his omission.
But in childhood coach Kudaravalli Srinivas, he has a voice of empathy. “Siraj has been performing at a high level for seven to eight years. Players eventually experience fatigue — there are bound to be phases where form dips,” said Srinivas.
“He’s played continuously: Test series, Asia Cups, IPLs—no break, no rest for the mind. It’s more mental fatigue than physical. When that sets in, performances dip, and that’s when a break is needed. The team management should have given him a break. Removing him was a mistake,” he explains.
He is a soft guy from inside, the coach says. “You saw how emotional he got when he saw Virat Kohli during the game against RCB. He’s a soft guy inside, an innocent guy who only knows how to bowl fast,” Srinivas says. “He doesn’t understand politics. Have you ever seen him make a controversial statement?” he asks.
Besides, the M Chinnaswamy could be cruel ground for a pacer. The short dimensions of the ground, where even a top-edge could comfortably soar for a six, lack of a resourceful support cast and the flatness of the pitch all contributed to his unflattering figures with RCB last year (15 wickets and an economy of 9.18). But he still bowled with gusto, which the numbers don’t reflect.
However, he has put the past behind him and his fortunes are seeing an upturn. The spells against RCB and SRH was vintage Siraj, the performances winning him back-to-back man of the match awards. “I was here for seven years, changed my jersey from red to blue, and was emotional, but once I got the ball, I was fine,” Siraj said after the game against RCB. “I had been playing consistently, but during the break, I corrected my mistakes and worked on my fitness.”
He appears rejuvenated and bowls with a spring in his stride. “He’s a fine bowler. I think it’s unfair to say things haven’t been going well for him. He’s performed outstandingly well when given the opportunity,” said Vikram Solanki, Director of Cricket at GT, on the eve of their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. “Sometimes we expect too much from someone like Siraj, who’s already achieved so much. We judge quickly based on one or two performances, but he’s been exceptional since joining us,” he elaborated.
He found a perfect guide in former India seamer Ashish Nehra, an astute coach. “He has a great relationship with Ashish (Nehra), and you’re seeing the results of their work together. Ashish has a rare ability to instil confidence in players. You’ve seen that with other players at GT as well. That’s exactly what’s happening with Siraj,” Solanki said. With Bumrah returning from injury and Shami off-colour, this could well be Siraj’s IPL.
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