The former Test captain of India, Sunil Gavaskar, has advised the other bowlers of the blue brigade, especially Mohammad Siraj, to shoulder responsibility of the bowling department, which will make it comfortable for their premier fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, to breath a little more during the last three Tests of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 in Australia.
Mohammad Siraj has been asked to step up in his game and offer more support to the Ahmedabad-born in the series. Gavaskar pointed out that the lack of five-wicket hauls in the five-day format has led to Bumrah tolerating most of the bowling load of the Indian team in the series.
The 30-year-old is the leading wicket-taker of the five-match series so far with the help of 12 scalps in five innings at an average of below 12 and a strike rate of 30 with an economy rate of 2.38. The Hyderabad-born, on the other end, is the fourth-highest wicket-taker of the series with nine scalps in five innings at an average of 21.22 and a strike rate of 37.88.
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Mohammad Siraj, so far, has collected 89 red-ball wickets in 33 games at an average of 29.53 and a strike rate of 52.5 with the help of six four-wicket hauls and three five-wicket hauls at the best bowling figure of 6/15 in an innings. In 11 innings of the longest format, the pacer has notched up 22 wickets at an average of 26.13 and a strike rate of 52.1, with a best of 5/73.
“Mohammad Siraj has to start getting five wickets in an innings”- Sunil Gavaskar
The pacer, who has been in the national side consistently for nearly four years, has struggled in the ongoing year with 28 wickets in 12 games at an average of 27.39 and a strike rate of 45.8 with a best of 6/15 in the very first five-day game of the year against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town.
Gavaskar has advised that Bumrah should be given help from another bowler. Siraj has nine wickets, while Harshit Rana has picked up four wickets, while two wickets are in the bag of Nitish Kumar Reddy.
“Mohammed Siraj is a good foil, but he has to start getting five wickets in an innings. Otherwise, the load is being picked up mainly by Jasprit Bumrah. But if Siraj can pick up two to three wickets, and keep on breaking partnerships, then he certainly helps Jasprit Bumrah.” The former opening batter for India expressed on Star Sports ahead of their third Test at the Gabba in Brisbane.
All the Australian seamers have already gathered four to five wickets in the series, including Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland, who have been rotated in the first two encounters in Perth and Adelaide due to the former’s injury.
Gavaskar hoped for a better performance from Rana, who made his impressive debut in Perth but was wayward in Adelaide with his line and length. Mohammad Siraj, who picked up four wickets in the day-night affair, didn’t look smooth in his rhythm with the ball.
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“Harshit Rana, the newcomer, bowled impressively in Perth but wasn’t as impressive in the second game at Adelaide. Maybe he just couldn’t find his rhythm and, therefore, was not bowling the length that he should have or the line that he should have. But hopefully, he would have learned. And then that makes it easy. It takes the load off Bumrah. Bumrah can then come in, in short bursts of four or five overs, and be much more effective.” Sunil Gavaskar concluded.
India will need to win the series in a better way to keep their hope alive for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final.