Mohammad Siraj Blames Two-Month Break For Pace Dip, Regains Rhythm In Duleep Trophy Spells

Mohammed Siraj, the Indian pacer, stays positive amid dismal performances on the tour of Sri Lanka with the Men in Blue and then in the Duleep Trophy Final. He believes that the outing in the Duleep Trophy Final with South Zone has helped him find the rhythm he was looking for.

From the tour of the Island nation for a two-match Test series, Siraj looked a distant shadow of himself, bowling in the late 120s instead of his more regular pace of early to mid 140s.

While the spinners understandably handled the majority of overs, Siraj, who bowled 44 overs across four innings in that rubber, could not trouble the batters at any stage of the match.

Siraj has attributed his drop in pace and rhythm since the recent tour of Sri Lanka to an extended two-month break. "Coming off a two-month break straight into a match, my rhythm wasn't quite there. I'm purely a rhythm bowler. If I'm not in sync, I simply can't explode through the crease," Siraj told select media after the Duleep Trophy final here.

"That was the struggle in Sri Lanka—my run-up felt disjointed. Some strides were too short, others were too long, and that broke my flow and cost me pace," he added.

After the one-off Test against Afghanistan that ended on June 8, Siraj took a two-month break before joining India's tour of Sri Lanka, which began with a game against SLC XI on August 7.

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Season Ready

But Siraj felt that the 41 overs he put in for South Zone against East Zone in the Duleep Trophy final at Chepauk had readied his body for another gruelling season.

"Out here, everything clicked into place, and the pace followed naturally. Yes, it was very tough. We came straight from Sri Lanka, where we spent three and a half days fielding in the second Test (at Colombo), and within a week, we were out here playing in Chennai's sweltering heat.

"But for me, it comes down to passion. When you're representing your country, you can’t make excuses. You have to give every ounce of effort for your team and nation.”

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Will Reap Rewards In International

Siraj was taken to cleaners by East batters in the first innings here, conceding 140 runs in 25 overs, and had to wait till the second innings to take a wicket.

But the Hyderabad man is not unduly worried. “Even if I didn't get the wickets to show for it today, that hard work will pay off at the international level.” His primary aim behind playing the Duleep Trophy was to regain rhythm rather than adding a few scalps to his first-class tally.

“Heading into this game, finding that flow was my primary goal. Playing this match helped me tremendously. After two months off, your body doesn't react the same way—everything feels a beat slower. Getting through this game got my body moving again and brought my rhythm right back,” he said.

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'My Body Doesn't Handle Long Breaks Well'

The 32-year-old explained that his body is attuned to putting in hard yards rather than taking long breaks from the game, even though it allowed him to work on other facets like fitness parameters.

"That's just how my body works. My body doesn't handle long breaks well. A short breather is fine, but in my 10-year career, I had never taken two full months off. So, the more overs I bowl, the better I get.

"If I don't bowl extended spells, my rhythm won't return. The break left my body feeling sluggish at the crease. I bowled spells of 10 and 11 overs, and that's exactly what locked me back into rhythm,” he noted.

An out of sync body also created the illusion of him using a shortened run-up, but Siraj said he has regained the flow in his action after bowling long spells in the Duleep Trophy.

"My approach (to bowling crease) relies on fluid, uninterrupted acceleration rather than staccato steps. Coming back after a two-month layoff, my body was just recalibrating its stride lengths. In this match, it all felt completely natural again.

“I told myself to forget the outcome and just run in with a good, natural rhythm. The moment I did that, the old Siraj was back in action, and the ball started coming out beautifully,” he said.

Shami Came To Rescue

Siraj was also fortunate to share some time with his old partner Mohammed Shami, who was playing for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy final.

While Siraj termed it a casual chat session, Shami gave a bit more insight into their conversation. “Whenever I interact with guys I’ve played with or share a good bond with, I focus on their skill. In the first innings, Siraj wasn’t quite finding his natural rhythm.

“I just reminded him that to get back on top, he needed to return to his core strengths. When your run-up and rhythm are in sync, your line and length fall into place automatically,” said Shami.

Now, Indian management will hope that Siraj will carry forward his in-sync body and mind to New Zealand as well.