India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has allayed any concern over Mohammed Siraj’s form in Test cricket. Ten Doeschate’s comments come after Siraj was rendered ineffective in the second innings of the opening Test match in Bengaluru. Siraj’s issues in the Test match got spotted due to Jasprit Bumrah’s sensational opening spell on Day 5 of the Test match, where he picked 2 wickets.
On the final day of the first Test, Siraj did not threaten the NZ batters consistently, despite the conditions being overwhelmingly favourable for fast bowling. This was in keeping with Siraj’s performances at home this year. However, Ryan ten Doeschate backed the pacer to come good, stating that he had been going through a wicked drought in home Tests.
“Siraj bowled beautifully in the second innings. Our last morning was of really high quality. And maybe wasn’t a nicking wicket, which is obviously his big strength, particularly to left handers when he when he moves the ball across. It is probably not the answer you want to hear but there’s nothing there to say. Like he’s not bowling well or his rhythm is not good. And maybe he’s just going through a little bit of a wicked drought,” Ryan ten Doeschate said in the pre-match press conference.
“But no, no concerns again. I’m sure if he’s given the chance here, we’ve got a few tactical things we wanna work on, coming around the wicket and challenging the stumps a little bit more. But his speeds are good, his accuracy is good. And I thought in the second innings he was excellent,” he further added.
