Siraj emphasized how a grueling 41-over bowling effort in the Duleep Trophy final helped condition his body for another international season.
India pacer Mohammed Siraj has detailed the exact reason behind his recent drop in form, acknowledging that an unusual two-month layoff severely disrupted his bowling dynamics.
During a media interaction following the Duleep Trophy final in Chennai, Siraj explained that he is purely a rhythm-dependent bowler who requires consistent match workloads to perform optimally.
Siraj clarified that his dip in pace to the late 120s during the two-Test series against Sri Lanka was not a deliberate tactical adjustment or an injury issue. Instead, the long break before the tour left his body feeling sluggish.
"Coming off a two-month break straight into a match, my rhythm wasn't quite there. I'm purely a rhythm bowler. If I'm not in sync, I simply can't explode through the crease," Siraj told reporters on Thursday (September 10).
"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," he added.
Siraj emphasized how a grueling 41-over bowling effort in the Duleep Trophy final for South Zone against East Zone at Chepauk helped condition his body for another international season.
"Out here, everything clicked into place, and the pace followed naturally. Yes, it was very tough. We came straight from Sri Lanka, where we spent three and a half days fielding in the second Test (at Colombo), 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 ounce of effort for your team and nation.”
Despite a grueling first innings where he conceded 140 runs across 25 overs, Siraj welcomed the intensive physical test.
“Even if I didn't get the wickets to show for it today, that hard work will pay off at the international level.”
“Heading into this game, finding that flow was my primary goal. Playing this match helped me tremendously. After two months off, your body doesn't react the same way—everything feels a beat slower. Getting through this game got my body moving again and brought my rhythm right back,” he stated.
Siraj explained that his body relies on continuous bowling workloads rather than extended breaks to maintain its rhythm.
"That's just how my body works. My body doesn't handle long breaks well. A short breather is fine, but in my 10-year career, I had never taken two full months off. So, the more overs I bowl, the better I get. "If I don't bowl extended spells, my rhythm won't return. The break left my body feeling sluggish at the crease. I bowled spells of 10 and 11 overs, and that's exactly what locked me back into rhythm,” he noted.
An out of sync body also created the illusion of him using a shortened run-up, but he was able to fix this issue by bowling long spells in the Duleep Trophy.
"My approach (to bowling crease) relies on fluid, uninterrupted acceleration rather than staccato steps. Coming back after a two-month layoff, my body was just recalibrating its stride lengths. In this match, it all felt completely natural again.
“I told myself to forget the outcome and just run in with a good, natural rhythm. The moment I did that, the old Siraj was back in action, and the ball started coming out beautifully,” Siraj remarked.
Sharing the field with senior India teammate Mohammed Shami, who was representing East Zone, also helped Siraj immensely during the Duleep Trophy final.
“Whenever I interact with guys I've played with or share a good bond with, I focus on their skill. In the first innings, Siraj wasn't quite finding his natural rhythm.
“I just reminded him that to get back on top, he needed to return to his core strengths. When your run-up and rhythm are in sync, your line and length fall into place automatically,” said Shami.
(With PTI Inputs)