Team India speedster Mohammed Siraj went on to explain the reason behind his indifferent performances against Sri Lanka during the recent tour where the sub-continent nation played two Tests. While the tourists won the series 1-0, the right-arm speedster’s performance was slightly in focus, particularly in the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, where he seemed to be battling an injury.
How many wickets did Mohammed Siraj end up with during the tour of Sri Lanka?
With four wickets in two Tests, the Hyderabad-born cricketer averaged a modest 25.75 during the Sri Lanka tour. While the economy rate from Siraj was decent and he kept threatening the Sri Lankan batters, the lack of wickets was glaring. Siraj also sent down only 15 out of 154 overs after visiting captain Shubman Gill enforced the follow-on in the second Test due to seemingly battling a niggle. After finishing with only one wicket across two innings during the Duleep Trophy 2026 final against East Zone in Chennai, he said, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:
“I’m purely a rhythm bowler. If I’m not in sync, I can’t explode through the crease. 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. Every bowler’s body is different, but mine doesn’t handle long breaks well. A short break is fine, but in my ten-year career, I had never taken two full months off. I was working out in the gym and bowling occasionally, but no amount of practice can replicate match intensity.”
“When you’re representing your country, you can’t make excuses” – Mohammed Siraj
The 32-year-old also admitted how hard it has been to play in Chennai’s scorching heat after a tough tour of Sri Lanka but hopes it will pay off at the international level, adding:
“We came straight from Sri Lanka, where we spent three-and-a-half days fielding in the second Test, 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 bit of your effort for your team and nation. Even if I didn’t get the wickets to show for it today, that hard work will pay off at the international level.”
His next red-ball commitment for India should be the tour of New Zealand but Siraj is likely to play some white-ball games against the West Indies and Kiwis before that.
