He has gone wicketless in the past two outings but Mohammed Siraj will look to push himself harder when Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday. The 28-year-old Siraj was retained by RCB for a sum of ₹7 crore before the 2022 edition of the league. While the franchise has managed to squeeze into the top-4 bracket, the pacer’s form remains a concern for the perennial underachievers. (IPL 2022 Full Coverage)
Siraj so far has picked up eight wickets in 11 games and conceded runs at an economy rate of 9.48. He remains a quality bowler for the team but former India batter WV Raman feels inexperienced Siraj must be guided by skipper Faf du Plessis almost on a ball-to-ball basis.
Raman, who also served as India women’s team coach between 2018 and 2021, further cited the example of Joginder Sharma, who was used efficiently by MS Dhoni in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.
“You remember Joginder Sharma? He was made to bowl by Dhoni for the simple reason that he was one guy who would do what the captain tells him to do in a high-pressure situation. Siraj also needs to be downloaded as to what he needs to do. Faf needs to have chats with him regularly and tell him what he needs to do. Siraj is easily excitable and he’s not experienced enough to work out what needs to be done according to the situation,” Raman told cricket.com.
“You can’t blame him (Siraj). Because the bowlers are always under the pump. He’s also really keyed up to do well. Let’s not forget that his ears will also hear a lot of things spoken about him. He’ll come in the air. He’s trying to prove a lot of things to a lot of people.”
“So to have that calming influence will make him do as well as he can. It’s very important for Faf to have regular chats with him and guide him almost on a ball-to-ball basis,” he further added.
With a 13-run win over Chennai Super Kings in their previous game, Bangalore currently occupy the fourth spot in the league standings with six wins in 11 matches.
Siraj, who has risen through the ranks with each passing year, seeks redemption after a below-par season thus far. “Until now I haven’t performed the way I would have liked. The team expects from me and I have not delivered. My role is to pick wickets in the powerplay and set the tone for the rest of the innings,” Siraj recently told host broadcasters Star Sports.
“I need to be more consistent in the death and powerplay, have to bowl in the right areas and not worry about being hit.”
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