India speedster Mohammad Siraj has commented on his drop in pace and rhythm since the recent tour of Sri Lanka and an extended two-month break, but said that bowling long spells in the Duleep Trophy has given him strong hints that he is getting back in form ahead of another international season. However, Siraj, who bowled 44 overs across four innings, failed to trouble the batters at any stage of the match.
“Coming off a two-month break straight into a match, my rhythm wasn’t quite there. I’m purely a rhythm bowler. If I’m not in sync, I simply can’t explode through the crease,” Siraj told select media after the Duleep Trophy final here. “That was the struggle in Sri Lanka; my run-up felt disjointed. Some strides were too short, others were too long, and that broke my flow and cost me pace,” he added.
After the one-off Test against Afghanistan that ended on June 8, Mohammed Siraj took a two-month break before joining India’s tour of Sri Lanka, which started with a game against SLC XI on August 7 as well. But Siraj felt that the 41 overs he put in for South Zone against East Zone in the Duleep Trophy final at Chepauk had helped his body for another gruelling season.
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“Out here, everything clicked into place, and the pace followed naturally. Yes, it was very tough. We came straight from Sri Lanka, where we spent three and a half days fielding in the second Test (at Colombo), and within a week, we were out here playing in Chennai’s sweltering heat. But for me, it comes down to passion. When you’re representing your country, you can’t make excuses. You have to give every ounce of effort for your team and nation,” he further added.
“Even if I didn’t get the wickets to show for it today, that hard work will pay off at the international level. Heading into this game, finding that flow was my primary goal. Playing this match helped me tremendously. After two months off, your body doesn’t react the same way—everything feels a beat slower. Getting through this game got my body moving again and brought my rhythm right back,” he said again.
The pacer also explained that his body can put in hard yards rather than taking long breaks from the game, even though it allowed him to work on other fitness parameters.
“That’s just how my body works. My body doesn’t handle long breaks well. A short breather is fine, but in my 10-year career, I had never taken two full months off. So, the more overs I bowl, the better I get. If I don’t bowl extended spells, my rhythm won’t return. The break left my body feeling sluggish at the crease. I bowled spells of 10 and 11 overs, and that’s exactly what locked me back into rhythm,” he added.
“My approach (to bowling crease) relies on fluid, uninterrupted acceleration rather than staccato steps. Coming back after a two-month layoff, my body was just recalibrating its stride lengths. In this match, it all felt completely natural again. I told myself to forget the outcome and just run in with a good, natural rhythm. The moment I did that, the old Siraj was back in action, and the ball started coming out beautifully,” he concluded.
