Former Indian pacer, Ashish Nehra opined that Mohammed Siraj has shown tremendous amounts of improvements in recent times as he has become a very good all-format bowler from being a red-ball specialist at the domestic level a couple of years ago. Nehra said he believes Siraj is even ahead of Jasprit Bumrah, in terms of skills, especially variations.
Nehra’s words of praise for Mohammed Siraj come after the youngster bowling a brilliant spell for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their IPL 2021 encounter on Thursday. Siraj was phenomenal with the new ball as he scalped the wickets of Jos Buttler and David Miller before returning to send back Rahul Tewatia.
Siraj’s figures of 3/27 in 4 overs helped RCB restrict RR to 177 in 20 overs in a high-scoring venue in Mumbai before Bangalore gunned down the target with 10 wickets to spare.
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During a chat on Cricbuzz, Ashish Nehra had said, “There is no shortage of skill, he has all types of variations. I would in fact say that skill-wise, he is even ahead of Bumrah if you talk of variations. He has a different slower one, there is no lack of speed, he can move the new ball. He needs to keep his fitness and sharpen his mind. If he can do these two things well, sky’s the limit.”
Siraj, who made his India debut as early as 2017 failed to get back into the squad but the Hyderabad pacer made a strong comeback, leading the pace attack for RCB in IPL 2020 after strong domestic performances.
Mohammed Siraj got back into the national squad for a 4-match Test series against Australia last year. He did not play the series opener in Adelaide but ended the series as the highest wicket-taker for the team with 18 wickets in 3 Tests as the visitors went on to clinch an emphatic 2-1 series win against Australia Down Under.
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After India lost several of their senior pros to injuries, Mohammed Siraj led the bowling attack in the 4th and final Test in Brisbane. Siraj picked up a 5-wicket haul as India went on to become the first visiting side to beat Australia at the Gabba since the West Indies in 1978.
