Veteran pacer Mohammed Siraj is undoubtedly one of India’s most reliable bowlers across both white-ball and red-ball cricket. Over the years, he has established himself as a formidable fast bowler, particularly in the Test format. With Mohammed Shami out of contention and Jasprit Bumrah battling injury concerns, Siraj has emerged as the senior-most pacer in India’s bowling attack. However, during the Test series against Sri Lanka and recently concluded ODI series against West Indies, which India won 2-1, questions were raised about Siraj’s form and pace.
Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun recently addressed those concerns, describing Siraj’s struggles as a temporary dip in form, something that can happen to any player. Arun also spoke about the rest granted to Siraj ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka.
“See, I think this is a temporary loss of form, I think, be it a bowler or a batter, is bound to happen sometimes. And then, he’s taken time away from, you know, cricket before the Sri Lankan series. Workloads he went through, and what his training programs were. But I think, yes, sometimes after a long gap for any sportsman, it takes a little while to shed those small things that creep into your game,” said Arun during a select media interaction by Sony Sports Network.
“But very soon, with his experience, all Mohammed Siraj should be looking for is his rhthym. This is his biggest strength. So, if he can work towards ways of regaining his rhythm along with his coach, I think he’ll back to what to be what he was, in the past,” he added.
In addition, Arun shared his views on Shami’s continued absence from international cricket. For the unversed, the veteran fast bowler has not represented India since the Champions Trophy 2025 final.
“Well, to answer what Shami should be doing, I don’t think Shami needs to prove himself. You either pick him on form or you don’t. That’s, that’s going to be the case of Mohammed Shami. Shami does not need to prove what he can do to be picked into the Indian team. He’s proved enough across all formats,” said Arun.