Exclusive: Mohammed Siraj’s 185-Over Marathon Earns Praise as Former BCCI Selector Ankola Tips Him to Get Even Better

Mohammed Siraj earned the nickname 'Mr Angry' from England cricketers during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy due to his never-ending intensity, even at optional training sessions. 

The right-arm Indian pacer's heart and passion for the sport powered him to bowl 185.3 overs, the most by any pacer in the five-match series, where he finished top-wicket taker with 23 scalps as India levelled 2-2.

The more Siraj bowls, the better he gets. 

In SENA countries, he has bowled 769.5 overs for 91 wickets in 23 Tests since his Test debut in December 2020 in Australia; only Australian pacers Pat Cummins (960.3) and Mitchell Starc (921.2) have bowled more overs in the same period in 30 Tests apiece.

Siraj is on the right track

Former India fast bowler and erstwhile selector Salil Ankola, also known for his fitness discipline, felt Siraj was on the right track to get even more lethal in the future. 

"The more you bowl, the better you are as a fast bowler, or for any bowler, including a spinner. Batters come to the nets and play around 300 to 500 deliveries. The same applies to bowlers. As a fast bowler, you have to work twice as hard. I feel 185-odd overs in a five-Test series, roughly 20 overs per innings or a bit more or less, is nothing for a fast bowler," he told SportsBoom.com.

"You ask any great fast bowler like Wasim Akram, Javagal Srinath, or Chaminda Vaas. They were my contemporaries, and I have had talks with all these guys during my playing days, and we always thought that we had to keep bowling to improve," added Ankola, who had made his Test debut with Sachin Tendulkar in Karachi in 1989.

Comeback, areas of improvement, and workload

Ankola, who was part of the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India till 2024, saw Siraj through his ups and downs. 

"Siraj is now the second-most senior person after Jasprit Bumrah. He gives in 200 per cent on the field every time. I have never seen him sitting down, even at the practice nets. Every young cricketer wants to enjoy sometimes, too. He is serious about his bowling. There was a problem with his fielding, but he worked on it, and now, he is a better fielder. Last year, he had a bit of a slump and was also dropped in one of the home Tests [against New Zealand], but look how he made a comeback. It shows his aptitude and attitude. He is a match-winner," he added.

There were murmurs about Siraj's workload since he does the heavy lifting and goes an extra mile to lead the bowling attack if Bumrah is not around. Ankola, who played 20 ODIs and a solitary Test for India, underlined that the right kind of training can negate injury chances. 

"You've got to keep your muscles strong during the season, as cricket is an endurance game. You have to be fit, and you require a lot of stamina to be a fast bowler. If you bowl four overs in a T20 game, you need to bowl 12 overs at top speed at the nets, then you can replicate it in an international game. To be a top ODI bowler, you need to bowl 10 overs; you bowl 20 overs at nets. When the muscles get depleted, you strengthen them at the gym. But at least thrice a week, you've got to give it all at nets."

Gill and Bumrah's skills

There was a narrative floating around that India lost the two Tests, where Bumrah played, directly pushing the senior pacer under the bus. Ankola dismissed it as "nonsense."

"Bumrah has returned from a stress fracture in the back, a difficult injury that can happen to fast bowlers. It is good that he is taking the precautions because we always want him to be fully fit. All these things about Bumrah playing and India not winning matches are just a coincidence. He is world-class and doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone again."

Ankola revealed the selection committee always looked at Gill as captaincy material. 

"He was always tagged as the next captain when I was the selector. We always knew this boy had it in him. Being India's No. 4, where the great Virat Kohli batted, is not a simple job. Gill did that, and led the team in a five-Test series in England, where the ball moves, and ended up being the top-scorer (754 runs). Nobody expected him to score those many runs."

India is now third in the new World Test Championship points table with 46.67 PCT, and will play four more Tests this year; two against the West Indies and two against South Africa. Ankola felt India needed another specialist batter. 

"We need one more batter in the top order and specialist bowlers. We have done well, but we could still choose a better team, and understand white-ball and red-ball players. The difference has to be clearly understood."

Siraj would be raring to go in these Tests to improve his home record: out of his 123 Test wickets in 41 appearances, only 19 have come in India in 14 Tests.