Siraj — a lion-hearted warrior forged in fire Premium

Siraj's journey from adversity to redemption, showcasing his resilience and skill in the face of setbacks and triumphs.

“Shot,” the unmistakable voice to one’s immediate right thundered. We were in the press box at the Adelaide Oval last December, on day two of India’s pink-ball Test against Australia, who were flying high on another masterclass from the irrepressible Travis Head. The second new ball was just eight deliveries young when the left-hander picked a fullish ball on his pads and deposited it over square-leg for six.

Greg Chappell, the former Australian captain, the former India coach and one of the shrewdest analysts ever, couldn’t but appreciate the quality of the stroke, even if the ball was crying out for punishment. The chastened bowler whirled around, came charging back in and, in striving for a yorker, ended up bowling a full toss that, somehow, snuck through Head’s defences and rattled timber. “Whoa,” Chappell piped up, as Mohammed Siraj, one of the two principal protagonists, sent the local lad on his way with a mouthful of volleys to which Head responded in kind.

Chappell didn’t quite say it, but he would have loved a Siraj under his command – either as captain or as coach. The Hyderabadi is all heart and no little skill, not unlike Virat Kohli, of whom Chappell is an unabashed admirer. His verbals didn’t endear him to the Australians, who installed him as national villain for the next fortnight until Kohli snatched that unenviable label away with his shoulder-charge in Melbourne of debutant Sam Konstas.

The Head sendoff was, inadvertently, a catalyst for a trying phase in the 31-year-old Siraj’s career. He had taken five wickets in the previous Test in Perth where, against all odds, India pulled off a massive victory to open up a 1-0 lead, backing it up with four sticks in the first innings in Adelaide. He would go on to take 11 more wickets in the next three matches to finish the series with 20 scalps, second best among Indians behind the peerless Jasprit Bumrah. Siraj bowled his heart out, sending down unflagging long spells without getting his due. Such was Bumrah’s incandescence that he shaded everyone else – his colleagues, for sure, but also his opponents, who boasted a fabulous attack that comprised Mitchell Starc, skipper Pat Cummins, the admirable Scott Boland and off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

Siraj knew he had the respect of his mates; for him, that was enough. It was enough that they recognised the effort he put in in Australia’s second innings in the final Test in Sydney when India were without Bumrah. By then, the right-arm paceman had bowled 145.1 overs in the series but he knew his team needed one big effort from him with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on the line. Leading 2-1, Australia’s target on a dodgy surface was 162 – not as modest as it appeared, though their task was made plenty easy in Bumrah’s absence. India’s obsession with batting depth meant they had only two frontline quicks once the skipper for the Test was rendered hors de combat – Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, who was playing his first Test match in 12 months.

Uncomplainingly, tirelessly, with single-minded focus and grim determination though he knew in his heart of hearts that he was fighting a losing battle, Siraj stormed in, using the scrambled seam and the upright one as his ally. He had made a poor start to India’s defence of their middling target, bowling a ball so down leg to Konstas that the sprawling Rishabh Pant had no chance of stopping it. One could sense his desperation to make an early impact, an early inroad. It was a classic example of trying too hard, a much-abused cliché but perfectly justified in this instance.

What other choice did he have? He was the leader of the pack, playing his 36th Test. He had to carry with him a partner in only his third game. It was on their shoulders that India’s slender hopes lay. So Siraj and Prasidh ran in, looking for wickets. Runs came freely as they inevitably would when the quest is for wickets. Prasidh threatened briefly with the wickets of Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith in the space of seven deliveries, this after Siraj had picked up his 100th Test stick by accounting for Konstas. But with each passing ball, this pair was bushed. Prasidh at least was match-fresh, even if he had bowled a lot in the nets. Siraj, spent and running almost on empty, plugged away manfully in a marathon 11-over burst.