How Bharat Arun helped Mohammed Siraj find his mojo back

Mohammed Siraj’s form over the last year has definitely been concerning for the Men in Blue in the longest format. Across his last three series, Siraj has averaged 46, 34.50 and 58 with the ball, which has really made the fans question whether the 30-year-old deserved to start alongside Jasprit Bumrah in Australia.

But like how Siraj does time and again, the 30-year-old made a strong start to his Australia trip, with five wickets across two innings in the opening Test at Perth. The right-arm pacer, who bagged 3/51 in the second dig, opened up about the phase where he wasn’t quite enjoying his bowling. 

"I could feel that I wasn't enjoying my bowling," Siraj said, reported ESPNCricinfo. 

"As a person I am someone who gets a different feeling when I'm enjoying my bowling, even if I'm not getting wickets. And now when I wasn't getting wickets, I went a bit deep into why I wasn't getting them,” he added.

“In India, you know that spinners bowl most of the overs, so it's a little tough to get wickets in [the] five-six overs [you get as a fast bowler]. So I just became a bit upset about why I wasn't getting wickets. But now I am having a lot of fun."

However, things started turning around for Siraj when he got in touch with India’s former bowling coach, Bharat Arun. Arun has been Siraj’s pillar of strength ever since his Indian debut, with the duo working closely together in the nets. 

"I spoke with Bharat Arun sir, that this is what's happening with me," Siraj said. "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 practiced together as well. So it felt good and now I'm enjoying,” he added. 

Siraj’s turnaround in form has definitely come as a blessing in disguise for Men in Blue, who are preparing themselves for a pink-ball Test in Adelaide that begins on December 6. When asked about how different it is to prepare for the pink ball, Siraj had to say, "This [pink] ball has a synthetic feeling. 

“This is different to the red ball we play with. There can be a bit of confusion due to the ball, but it's just one match so we just have to focus on that and practice for it and we'll improve day-by-day. The seam is very hard. It's bright, and quite big. The more you practice with it, the better you get.”

The 30-year-old also revealed that India would be aiming to hit the ‘back of length’ area more than the fuller length because of the pink Kookaburra ball. 

"I think that 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.

"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."

India are yet to win a pink ball Test away from home, with a solitary defeat at the hands of Australia during their last tour Down Under, where they were bowled out for 36. They would want to flip the script this time around in Adelaide.

If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out on our content — big time. Download the App here.