Siraj is unable to bowl anything special except the new ball. He does not look much effective after the old ball. This is the reason why he has not been included in the team- Rohit Sharma
(Team India captain while announcing the Champions Trophy in January 2025)
In January this year, Team India was announced for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. During this, Team India captain Rohit Sharma said this in a press conference. Earlier, whenever Team India played in a big tournament, Siraj was definitely included in his squad. Surprisingly, he selected the bowler whom he selected compared to Siraj. They were Arshdeep Singh … Rohit said about him ‘We thought a lot, there was uncertainty about Bumrah’s playing. So we chose a player who could bowl in new ball and death overs. Arshadeep fits both these roles. When Siraj does not bowl with the new ball, his effectiveness decreases. It is unfortunate that Siraj had to stay out. This was going to break the heart for a bowler who is constantly giving new heights to the team with his performance.
Cut to August 2025 …
Team India’s brilliant victory, the determination and perseverance of Siraj and the famous gave us a historic victory. Siraj put everything at stake for the team, I am very happy for him.
(After winning the Oval Test on August 4, 2025, Virat Kohli’s x post. It has been seen more than 4 million)
The fifth and last Test match played at the Oval between India and England was one of the most exciting matches. In this match, Mohammad Siraj was the hero of Team India’s victory. His very dangerous bowling changed the match with hand. The team won by just 6 runs. The most important thing was that in this whole series, Team India’s star bowler Bumrah sometimes played, never … but Siraj did not let him miss. He continued to take wickets. Siraj was the highest wicket -taker of this series. The big thing was that losing this match meant that Team India would have lost the series by a big margin of 1-3. But this exciting victory made this series equal to 2-2. A young team whose experts did not expect to win. This team not only equals the series but also leaves its impact. The example of which is that both the top bowler and the batter lived from India. Three batter scored more than 400 runs. However, man of series captain Shubman Gill, who was the hero in this entire series and Mohammad Siraj of the Oval Test, Mohammad Siraj … Siraj swing the old ball in a tremendous way and showed what level his talent is. On the fifth day of the Oval Test, he was pitching the balls in such a way that he was impossible to play. He was almost unplaced. But this transform was not easy with a gap of a few months. Work behind this was the hand of things. Come, let’s know all these things in a sequential way.
When he was out of the team, he’s heart broke, but engaged in hard work
Siraj himself admitted that when he was not taken in the Champions Trophy team, his heart was broken. They were unable to digest that they could be excluded from the team. Many days passed in great disappointment. Gradually accepted his situation. I comforted myself that I still have a lot of cricket left. I will work on the mistakes that are happening to me. Really I worked on them again. During the break, he started hard work on bowling, fitness and his mindset. Worked on the correct continuous bowling in bowling and pitching the right ball. During this time, he tried to understand the seam of the ball … did a lot of work on the art of reverse swing with the old ball. Sweating in the field for hours. Come out early with disappointment. Trust you Due to this mental situation, my comeback was possible. This was the reason that when no one was seeing the situation of winning the fifth day of the Oval Test, Siraj made his mobile wallpaper. This cover photo, with the photo of famous footballer Ronaldo, gives a clear idea of Mental Tuffness of Siraj.
New brightness scattered by old ball, gill of allegations
When Rohit Sharma said from the open platform that Mohammad Siraj is not able to bowl effectively with the old ball, his edge is decreasing. So Rohit’s statement was echoed in the cricket corridors. Critics were also questioning Siraj’s falling rhythm. But the Oval Test of England’s Test series changed all that. The old ball was in hand, the situation was difficult, the opposition batsmen were set on the crease. England wanted 35 runs. 4 wickets were in hand. India’s possibility of victory was not considered much in this situation. It was believed that England would win in the first session on the fifth day. India needed these 4 wickets. Then Siraj showed him with his bowling that no one had thought, set such an example of reverse swing with the old ball which changed the attitude of the match. When the ball was old on the oval pitch, the magic of Siraj started. He brightened the ball in such a way that it became a mystery for the batsmen. His balls were moving in the air in the last moment, due to which the batsmen were dodging. Even the set batsmen of the opposition team could not guess their balls properly. The batsmen were repeatedly missing the shot and Siraj was beating him with the art of swinging the old ball.
Ball’s late movement, swing … confused batsmen
Siraj’s biggest power was his late movement and swing … The ball was getting so long that the batsmen could not be able to play or leave till the last moment. The deadly mixture of these swing and out swing from above. As a result, the wickets fell due to wrong shot selection. Cricket pundits described it as one of the best bowling done under adverse circumstances. Many experts described it as Siraj’s most mature bowling spell.
Amazing control in long spell
Maintaining speed and line in long spells for fast bowlers is considered the most difficult task. But Siraj bowled more than about 30 overs in the final innings of the Oval Test …. Even though throwing 6 to 7 overs in a row, not only maintained speed, but also put pressure on the batsmen with an exact line-length. The swing of his balls, the moment was putting mental pressure on the batsman on the ground. Was being forced to make mistakes. When the bowlers succeed in stopping the run, the pressure on the batsmen to play additional shots increases. This was also Siraj’s strategy. Constant dot balls and controlled bowling brought the opposition team to the backfoot. Gradually, the situation became such that instead of scoring runs, the batsmen got entangled in the struggle to save the wicket.
He sent the set batsmen to the pavilion, breaking the middle order of the opposition. One of the wickets after another gave India a chance to strengthen the match. The most important thing is that Siraj did not lose patience in the hour of pressure. When the equation of the match could bow down on any side, he played with his experience and confidence. Even after getting the wicket, he remained on the strategy. This maturity became the key to India’s victory.
Lesson of being out of Champions Trophy
A few months ago, Siraj was dropped from the Champions Trophy team due to poor form, failure to swing with old balls, expensive spells. At that time many cricket experts said that Siraj’s Golden Period was over. But Siraj made that shock an inspiration. He worked on fitness, focused on mental strength and added a new edge in bowling. His performance in the Oval Test is proof that his dedication clicked to work on weak aspects of his bowling.
Drug became pain
Captain Rohit Sharma’s statement, critics’ comments and pain of excluding, all of them together inspired Siraj to work hard. He showed that instead of getting a tool of improvement instead of being afraid of criticism, the impossible can be made possible. Oval’s victory was not only a Test victory for India, but Siraj also had a personal victory.
The Oval Test has brought Mohammad Siraj to a new place. By showing magic from the old ball, he not only proved his ability, but also showed that the best way to respond to criticism is to perform. Now Siraj has become an example for young cricketers, not just a bowler. He has shown that getting up and getting up … returning even more strong … This is the identity of the true champion.
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