Galle: Spinners running amok on the slow turners in Galle and Colombo has been the dominant theme in the build-up to the two Tests between India and Sri Lanka, starting here Saturday.
While it is not far off the truth, one bowler will be eager to write his own script across the next fortnight or so — Mohammed Siraj. In the absence of premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah, Siraj will have to assume the lead role, besides handholding Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar.
It’s not precisely an unfamiliar place for Siraj, for he has stepped up to the plate several times when Bumrah was either rested or injured.
A quick rewind to last year’s Birmingham Test against England will attest that statement. Siraj produced a match-defining spell of six for 70 in the first innings when Bumrah was absent because of his workload management.
Bowling alongside the phenom, Siraj has taken 90 wickets from 29 Tests, and averages 32.
“He has always been a tough competitor. He does not shy away from a challenge. It comes from his tennis ball background where you need to bowl many overs continuously,” says Mohammed Mahboob Ahmed, who mentored Siraj in Hyderabad.
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