Indian fast bowler Mohammed Siraj, one of the best bowlers in the world right now, is celebrating his birthday today, March 13. It’s been a hair-raising last year or so for the seamer, who has set up a good foundation for himself as a normal in every one of the three configurations, capitalizing on wounds and dunks in the structure to any semblance of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
His excellent run in ODIs has become even more significant as the ODI World Cup nears. At the major event in India later this year, he might be India’s most important player.
In light of this, let’s examine three of the reasons why Mohammed Siraj will be India’s most important player at the Cricket World Cup in 2023.
#3 He is the best new ball option for India
With Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s decline, India needed someone to step in and play new ball. Mohammed Siraj thankfully did just that. It is also worth noting that Siraj’s contributions to the powerplay overs have become even more significant as a result of Jasprit Bumrah’s injury.
He has been absolutely electric at the beginning of the innings so far, bowling with real pace and swinging the ball both ways. He has also been successful thanks to his wobbling seam delivery, making him difficult to face in the first few overs.
While Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya may also share new-ball duties, Rohit Sharma, the captain, should rely on the Hyderabad seamer for an early breakthrough.
#2 Strike Bowler
Despite the fact that we just talked about how well he played with the new ball, Mohammed Siraj has also proven to be a reliable option for the captain to use when he wants to stop the run flow of the opposition or get a wicket.
Siraj came back into the attack during the middle overs on numerous occasions in India’s six ODI matches against Sri Lanka and New Zealand earlier this year and made important breakthroughs.
During a World Cup year, a genuine partnership-breaking option in the middle overs is crucial, and a top team needs a crisis man. Liam Plunkett played that role for England a few years ago.
A few years ago, Siraj’s bowling outside of the new ball spell, particularly his death bowling, was cause for concern. He has, however, elevated his game to a new level and can be relied upon to take wickets in any circumstance.
#1 He’s the No.1 ODI Bowler
How rapidly has he ascended through the positions to turn into the No.1 positioned ODI bowler? Mohammed Siraj is probably the world’s best ODI bowler at the moment, and he’s having a good run of pace bowling across all formats.
Siraj has taken 38 wickets in just 20 matches since the beginning of 2022, averaging 18.73 runs per wicket.
After his outstanding performances in the ODI series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand in January 2023, he surpassed Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood to become the No. 1 ODI bowler. Additionally, he was a member of the 2022 ICC ODI Team of the Year.
An in-structure, blazing quick bowler bowling with a lot of certainty is precisely very thing India would need during a WC year, particularly at home. During the 2023 Cricket World Cup, India’s most important bowler might be Mohammed Siraj.