Former India pacer and current Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowling coach, L Balaji, lauded India's fast bowling attack comprising Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, and Ishant Sharma. The performance of this trio in the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand and a five-match series against England is going to be crucial for India.
In an exclusive chat with Cricketnext, Balaji also talked about the fast bowling qualities of Bumrah while comparing the similar style between him and Mohammed Siraj. He feels it's not possible to find a like-for-like replacement for Bumrah, but Siraj is very close to him in terms of bowling abilities.
ALSO READ: VVS Laxman hails "very skillful" Mohammed Siraj ahead of England tour
“With Bumrah’s talent, you have to see a similar replacement for him. He cannot be identically replaced as he is an exceptionally talented bowler. He is a match-winner. At the same time, you have an opportunity for an identical talent to thrive, say Siraj. The ball pretty much comes out of the hand perpendicular, angles away from the left-hander, straightens for the right-hander. They are almost identical, not exactly the same,” he said.
Balaji believes if the team management looks after Siraj, he can be an ideal replacement for Bumrah if the latter gets injured and remains unavailable for selection. He said that Bumrah and Siraj even have a similar pattern of dismissal and mode of getting the batsmen out.
“The ball path, dismissal patterns are similar – LBW, bowled, caught behind. If Bumrah is not there, who gives almost the same, if not exactly the same, performance? Find a formula. Similar tactical discussions will help the captain, the team management, not go straight into defence but look for the offence if Bumrah is not there. India’s Test series win in Australia is a classic case. Without Bumrah and Shami, the Indian bowlers still managed to take 20 wickets. That was tactics and skills matching at the right time.”
Siraj has shown good improvement with the ball in the last few years. He displayed his skills on the Australia tour, which was also his debut Test series for India.
(With Cricketnext Inputs)
