High intensity, low reward, big impact - the Mohammed Siraj spellbook

Since Mohammed Siraj made his debut in the Boxing Day Test of 2020, only Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc have played more Test matches than his 39 as specialist fast bowlers. Only Cummins, Starc, Jasprit Bumrah and Kagiso Rabada have taken more wickets than his 113.

However, he doesn't get spoken of in the same breath. Part of it is because he is the only one in the top-five fast bowlers in this period averaging over 30. In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy of 2024-25, Siraj looked good but ended up with an underwhelming average of 31.15 in seam-friendly conditions where Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland averaged a tick over 13.

The bowling average alone doesn't quite capture Siraj's bowling. In all Tests that Siraj has played, pace bowling has picked wickets at an average of 28.29, which puts his 30.88 in a little perspective. On top of that, he has not enjoyed a lot of luck since the start of that Australia tour.

The markers beyond wickets taken only suggest an excellent Test bowler. In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Siraj drew a false shot every four balls, which is quite healthy, but got a wicket roughly at once every ten balls as against others who were doing it every eight balls. His pace doesn't drop, he has a mix of outswing and the wobble-seam delivery, he keeps hitting the good length, but he is no Bumrah, who can conjure his money in the bank seemingly at will.

For Siraj, it is more about having to wait for the luck to fall in place. He is aware he hasn't quite enjoyed the luck in these two series. "I have been bowling very well, but the luck hasn't been a little on my side," he said. "As a bowler, I of course want wickets every time I bowl well, but you have to tell yourself that if not in this match, you will get it in the next.

"Upar wala bhi dekh raha hai [The man upstairs is watching]. If he has brought me this far, he will take me ahead as well. Don't get so irritated if you don't get wickets. Even in the last match, it was so frustrating when I beat Joe Root, drew edges, did everything, but the only thing missing was his wicket. But I have to tell myself to keep it simple and keep bowling good balls, and the results will come."

In that spell against Root on the fourth afternoon, Siraj drew nine false shots in 23 balls. He was asked if he goes back and looks at his wickets and wonders if he needs to make changes and perhaps get a little bit fuller or straighter, because when you are judged on results, you can get restless.

He is very much like Bumrah in this regard. "If I go searching, I will leak runs," he said. "My plan is to stay consistent and keep hitting the good areas. If I have to get wickets, I will get them from there. If I end up just building pressure instead, it could get us wickets from the opposite end. So at that time the mind doesn't wander to my wickets."

There is also something to be said about Siraj not having his workload managed because the other bowlers around him always tend to get rotated. While it speaks of Siraj's heart, sometimes a break can do wonders, but he doesn't have that luxury. "I am thankful God has kept me healthy, touch wood," Siraj said. "Workload is one thing, and it goes in the book that Siraj has bowled this many overs, but for me, it is just another opportunity. I want to do well and want to help win matches for the country.

"I want to play as many matches as I can, and all I want is to give my 100%. That when I hit the bed, I shouldn't feel I could have done more, no matter the results."

Siraj is less philosophical when it comes to his batting. At Lord's, he, the last man, batted for 64 minutes and added 23 runs with Ravindra Jadeja to take India within 22 of the target. His dismissal provided the most iconic image of the series: he on his haunches, having been bowled after middling a back-foot defensive, and the England players cutting short their celebration and checking on him.

"To get out after middling the ball…" Siraj said. "The way we were batting, me and Jaddu bhai, it never felt like I could get out. I had this much confidence from batting there that I could only get out if I made a mistake. Unfortunately, I got out even after middling the ball. That was heartbreaking."

"For a long time," Siraj said when asked how long the heartbreak stayed with him. "I remember in 2021 at Lord's, I took the last wicket. Then I was in this situation. I am a very emotional person. Jaddu bhai fought hard, Jassi bhai also fought for 54 balls, but at the end of the day, we lost after working so hard.

"At one point, it looked like we would lose by 80 runs. Then we fought hard. We even took it past tea. That hurts more. Had we lost by 80, it would have been fine. To get that close and lose is heartbreaking. But after a while I told myself the series is not yet over. There are still two more Tests. These matches will be fun."

Siraj is the leading wicket-taker in this series so far, but he is still averaging 32, which is better than all of England's mainline quicks, but not as good as Bumrah and Akash Deep. How rewarding it will be if he can turn it around and make match-defining contributions in the remaining matches and be more than just the workhorse that others admire. He has a lot of catching-up to do on the wickets column.