Border-Gavaskar Trophy: How Jasprit Bumrah helped Mohammed Siraj to turn things around | Cricket News

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj during the Perth Test against Australia. (Photo by Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: After a routine home series against New Zealand, Mohammed Siraj has praised his senior pace teammate and attack leader Jasprit Bumrah for helping him get back in form. Siraj took five wickets in India’s incredible comeback victory over Australia in the Perth Test.
The 30-year-old had a rough home season, taking just two wickets in two Test matches during India’s crushing 0-3 defeat to New Zealand before the visit to Australia. However, he was back to his best in the first Test match against Australia.
Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Siraj claimed that his recovery in the series opener in Perth, when India overcame a first innings collapse to reach 150 for a huge 295-run victory, was aided by a conversation he had with Bumrah, the No. 1 ranked Test bowler and stand-in captain, before the tour.
“I always keep talking to Jassi bhai (Bumrah),” Siraj said after the India’s six-wicket win over Australian Prime Minister’s XI in a practice match Canberra on Sunday.

“Even before the first match, I spoke with him about what I was going through. And he just told me one thing — don’t run (chase) after wickets, just keep bowling consistently in one area and enjoy your bowling. If you still don’t get wickets, then you come ask me.
“So I enjoyed my bowling and I got wickets as well,” he added.
Bharat Arun, the former bowling coach for India, was also consulted by Siraj in order to determine his center.
“I spoke with Bharat Arun sir, that this is what’s happening with me, because he has known me for a while and he has seen my bowling from long time back. So, he just told me to enjoy and not run after wickets. Just enjoy and you’ll get wickets.
“And before travelling, I met (fielding coach) Dilip sir in Hyderabad and we practised together as well. So, it felt good and now I’m enjoying.
“Morne (Morkel, India’s current bowling coach) keeps telling me that ‘you are a warrior’. ‘You’ll get us wickets, but you just keep enjoying your bowling’.”
In his first game with a pink ball, Siraj appeared to be in rhythm during the warm-up play against the Prime Minister’s XI. Matthew Renshaw, a former Australian Test batter, was taken out by him.
Adelaide will host the day-night second Test match against Australia starting on Friday. Siraj would be bowling with the pink ball under the lights for the first time.
“The (pink) ball has a synthetic feeling, it’s different from the red ball. The seam is very hard. It’s bright, and quite big. The more you practice with it, the better you get,” Siraj said.
“I think with the pink-ball, it’s better to bowl back of length. Because pitching it up, there’s not a lot of swing, so the more you hit the deck and get it to seam, it will be better for us,” he noted.
“I have heard that the ball swings a lot under the lights but I haven’t yet bowled with it under lights. So when we go to Adelaide and practice, we will try that. And the more practice we get, we’ll know more about what we have to do.”