Why Siraj has looked in ‘control' playing Tests
The most incredible aspect of Mohammed Siraj’s swift transition to the Test match game is the control and the consistency he has shown. These two key determinants of success have often seemed distant friends for Siraj while playing limited-overs cricket. But the moment he got the red-ball in hand under Test match environment in Australia, Siraj looked a completely different bowler and ended as India’s highest wicket-taker for the series. Through this write-up, we shall try and find out why?
My overwhelming thought about Siraj since the first day I’ve seen him bowl was that his action won’t ever allow him to be consistent at the highest level. Siraj tends to lose height at the point of landing following his delivery stride and his arm-angle, the point of release, are observed to wary. I felt, given that international batsmen are severe on anything that errs on the line and length, Siraj will find life extremely difficult against them. This, especially true for the Test match game where batsmen have more time to watch the ball and decide their course of reaction.
While sad, I kind of also felt vindicated when Siraj struggled to put the breaks on batters playing for India in 3 T20Is, a standalone ODI, and the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad and then Royal Challengers Bangalore. In 35 IPL matches, Siraj has conceded 9.08 runs per over. He has an economy of 8.47 across 67 games in his overall T20 career, which remains on the higher side (5.30) when we account for the List A matches. Paradoxically, Siraj’s first-class numbers are exceptional: an average of 23.92 with 165 wickets while going at a respectable 3.09 runs per over. The record is even more impressive when Siraj turns up for India ‘A’ and bowls to world’s best second-string batsmen. He’s taken 70 wickets at an average of 21.88 with an economy of 3.10 playing for India ‘A’ across different conditions.
This reinforces the consensus that Siraj is a bowler more suited to the red-ball game and hence, has found success on his first Test trip to Australia. But I didn’t want to rest on a lazy conclusion. There must be a reason why the same paceman who doesn’t give you much confidence about him in white-ball cricket is such a resounding success with the red cherry. It’s worth exploring, does Siraj do something different in Tests from T20 to have such contrasting fortunes? If so, why are his ways not proving as much effective when he has a white-ball in hand?
I reckon any technical and tactical dissection of Siraj the paceman should start off with his bowling action. When Siraj is at the top of his delivery stride, he, like most fast bowlers, is in a traditionally correct straight position, expectedly about to create a straight line towards the batsman. Bhuvneshwar Kumar does this immaculately to ensure there is no loss of energy on the ball and he can extract as much pace from his body as possible. But that’s where the similarities between the two end as Siraj, when that front-foot lands on the surface, creates a completely different angle and point of release.
Notice how Siraj’s head is tilting further towards the off-side once his front-foot has landed. The arm-angle has also gone a little inward. It’s accidental, not deliberate for someone who started playing professionally quite late by standards. The difference in the expected and the actual point of release isn’t huge here but at the Test level, it’s often enough to create deception and therefore, induce a false-stroke. Coaches don’t like bowlers to be losing height on the ball as they fear it would not only reduce the speed on the ball but also leave their wards susceptible to injuries. They are right with their concern. But Siraj has broken a convention as while he loses height within his action, there is no obvious lack of speed through the air and off the deck. Siraj showed in Australia that his action isn’t also a hindrance to him bowling long spells, maintaining endurance and staying injury-free.
When we recall the famous incident of Dean Jones requesting Curtly Ambrose to take his arm-band off in the middle of a one-day game, we tend to focus on the dramatics too much, how the former Australia batsman ended up further instigating the great West Indian quick. Little attention is paid to the genuine concern which the late Deano was raising. Given the fact that Ambrose was wearing a white arm-band right at the end of his bowling arm’s wrists, it must’ve been really difficult to sight the white-ball he was carrying in his fingers. At Ambrose’s speeds, picking the release-points quickly enough would’ve become all the more tougher. Deano, rightfully, sought some help on that front, pushing his case with the on-field umpire.
Identifying release-points early enough is a vital exercise for any batsman, who would then only have the time to decide whether to be on the front or the backfoot and which shot to play or avoid. Now imagine if the same release-points change right in the middle of an action at a speed of less than a second. This is what happens when Siraj loses height on that action at the point of landing. Adjusting to that must be only tougher for batsmen not used to facing Siraj. It’s not to suggest that it makes Siraj unplayable or is the sole reason of his success in Tests, but the change in line from where he actually delivers the ball would be difficult to make a quick adjustment to.
Also, with Siraj being so naturally tall, a sudden change in height and angle of the release, makes batsmen wary of the lengths he delivers as they tend to differ from one ball to the other. It’s, again, accidental, not deliberate, but helps Siraj a lot. It’s something I thought wouldn’t allow him to land the ball consistently on a spot which, as we’ve always been told, is required at the Test level. However, Siraj has shown that the variability and unpredictability of the length can also work as long as the direction of the ball is correct. That, because if like Siraj you have a flexible seam position, the red-ball and Test match tracks would do a lot more for you from different lengths, unlike the white Kookaburra and flat decks used in limited-overs cricket.
In terms of line, Siraj’s general aim is at the stumps to the right-handers, as opposed to outside off-stump, a traditional mode of operation. It’s a ploy that bowlers can often err on the leg-side with, but Siraj has enjoyed great success with it. As per the data recorded by ESPNcricinfo, among 114 of Siraj’s first-class dismissals against the right-handers before the Brisbane Test, there were 36 bowleds and 23 LBWs, besides 31 catches taken by the wicket-keeper and 24 by others. Against the left-handers, of which he had picked up 45, the percentage of bowleds (11) and the LBWs (5) were comparatively less. But the catches, to both the wicketkeeper (15) and other fielders (14), remained on the higher side. Siraj usually bowls into the right-handers and takes the ball away from the lefties, which perhaps explain the difference here.
In Australia, given the fact that they were missing Ishant and Shami, India decided to pack the leg-side a lot more for their bowlers. While Ashwin the used the cushion to device a new wicket-taking method, for Siraj it meant more cover to bowl at the stumps to righties. Because of the late change in angle of release, right-hand batsmen misjudge the line they play versus Siraj. And at speeds at the top-level, you only need a slightly angled bat for the ball to sneak through and hit you on the pads, dislodge the stumps or take the inside and the outside edges. By getting David Warner out edging behind, Siraj also showed he can get the better of competent lefties. It was the case of Warner reaching for the ball with hard hands at a length just far enough from him.
But despite the deception of the initial and the actual line, batsmen are able to negotiate Siraj in white-ball and IPL cricket comfortably because they can trust the ball to go straight upon pitching on flat tracks. The same stump-line is then attacked confidently as Siraj can’t also put extra fielders to protect the leg-side. He’s suddenly forced to try and bowl more wider outside off, something he isn’t the most comfortable with when there isn’t much happening in the air and off the pitch. But the day there is some swing or seam movement on offer, the same wide angle gives Siraj wickets even in IPL. Think of that fixture versus Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi here. That happens as even though Siraj is generally bringing the ball into the righties and taking it away from the lefties, he still has a curved seam position, unlike Shami’s straight locked-in one, and can tempt fate and throw it wide outside off on a particular day.
In general, though, when looking to take the ball away from right-handers, Siraj tends to roll his fingers over the ball, not release it traditionally, which Sachin Tendulkar also pointed out in a masterclass video posted over Twitter recently. The away swinger is something Siraj should focus on improving with tours to England and South Africa looming.
But overall, India now seems closer to finding a long-term replacement of Shami as their third overseas paceman than they were at the start of this Australian tour.
