Following the staggering demonstration of sensational bowling during the recently concluded Test series against England, Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj is receiving a lot of praise. Taking nine wickets across both innings, he was instrumental in India’s hard-fought six-run win in the fifth Test at The Oval. With the help of victory, India narrowly dodged the series defeat and successfully levelled the series 2-2. Meanwhile, former Indian pacer RP Singh has advised the BCCI that, like Bumrah, Siraj’s workload ought to be managed. Siraj featured in all five games of the series against England, bowling 185.3 overs and claiming 23 wickets.
“Workload management will be crucial to prevent Siraj from getting injured in the future. Fast bowlers are at higher risk of injury when they play too many matches in a short time. His workload should be managed just like we did with Bumrah,” RP Singh said while speaking to PTI Bhasha.
Singh highlighted how Bumrah, due to workload management, was able to bowl brilliantly in the ODI and T20I World Cups.
“It’s because of better workload management, Bumrah bowled brilliantly in both ODI and T20 World Cups. Siraj is also in the same league. To protect him from injuries, we need to seriously focus on his workload, sooner or later.”
Singh pointed out that when Bumrah is not in the team, Siraj automatically becomes India’s leading bowler.
"Just like batsmen need partnerships, bowlers also prefer bowling in pairs. Bumrah tends to take more wickets and his unique action troubles batters more," he said.
"Siraj’s role is to build pressure from his end, and he does that very well. Their partnership has been special and delivered great performances. When Bumrah is not in the team, Siraj automatically becomes our lead fast bowler," he said.