Manchester: Having bowled the most amount of overs in the ongoing Test series against England, Mohammed Siraj is not overly bothered about workload management, a term used frequently in Indian cricket.
Siraj is the only pacer in the Indian attack that has been part of all games thus far and if he has his way, the workhorse would be featuring in all five Tests.
The 31-year-old has bowled tirelessly in the series, rolling his arm for 109 overs. Jasprit Bumrah, who missed the second Test due to workload management, has bowled 86.4 overs, Prasidh Krishna 62 overs in two games and Akash Deep 72.1 overs in two games.
“Thank God, I have been fit and healthy so far. Yes there is workload to be considered as per science and if you go by the book how many overs Siraj bowled would be mentioned there,” said Siraj, who has taken 13 wickets in the series including a six wicket haul at Edgbaston.
“Having said that, my mindset is to get the best use of the opportunity and win games for India.”
Despite having the maximum workload, there was no let up in Siraj’s intensity during the training session on Monday.
He bowled full tilt for an hour alongside Bumrah, Prasidh, Anshul Kamboj and Shardul Thakur.
What is the secret to his energy? “There’s no real secret. When you play for your country, that in itself is the biggest motivation. Representing the nation gives me all the energy I need. My only aim is to give 100% on the field so that when I go back and rest at night, I don’t have regrets like “I could’ve done this” or “I missed that.”
Siraj lauded England captain Ben Stokes for bowling two very long spells on day five at the Lord’s where India fell short of the 193-run target by 22 runs. Stokes’ spells of 9.2 overs and 10 overs on either side of the lunch break couldn’t have gone unnoticed.
“There’s nothing wrong with learning from the opposition. When someone from the other side does well, it’s not shameful to acknowledge it. Stokes bowled a 10-over spell twice, which is not easy at all.As a fast bowler hats off to him. The match was on a knife’s edge—could’ve gone either way—and the way he bowled was impressive. As bowlers, we always aim to perform and get wickets quickly for our team.”
Siraj on Monday confirmed Bumrah’s participation too.
Following the team’s first outdoor session in Manchester, Siraj at least cleared the suspense over Bumrah’s availability for the fourth Test. “Jassi bhai will play, our combination is changing day by day (due to injuries),” he said.