"I love responsibility, I love the challenge."
These were the words of Mohammed Siraj when asked how he felt about being leader of the Indian pace attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah during the Edgbaston Test. For a long time, Siraj and Bumrah have worked in tandem, but it was always the latter who took home the plaudits. Siraj had flashing moments of brilliance here and there, but he was yet to show that he could be a leader of the side on his own.
That was until the first innings of the Edgbaston Test. The pacer, who has cut a polarising figure over the past few months after an uninspiring Australian tour, had something to prove. We all know how the story went from then till the England tour, as the pacer found himself dropped from the Champions Trophy squad before a phenomenal IPL campaign saw him make a comeback.
Yet, the first Test was a dose of reality for Siraj in the unforgiving conditions of England. He bowled well in patches, but many felt there was a lot more he could have done at Headingley. Then came Edgbaston, and with Bumrah rested, Siraj was expected to lead the attack. He is expected to remain one of the first names on the team sheet given Bumrah's workload management, but he needed to prove it.
And that's exactly what he did early on Day Three when he dismissed Joe Root and then produced a vicious delivery to dismiss Ben Stokes. The match then almost went out of India's hands after Harry Brook and Jamie Smith put on a 303-run stand before the new ball came into play.
Akash Deep opened the door, and Siraj ran through the tail and ended with figures of 6 for 70 — something he was proud of.
"It's unbelievable because I was waiting for a long time. I have been bowling well but not getting wickets. I have only got four-wicket hauls here, so getting six here is very special," said Siraj.
Coming into the second Test, it seemed like Siraj did have a plan. The Indian bowlers were wayward and the plans didn't seem to work out at all. This raised questions about Siraj and the bowling unit, especially with Bumrah being out of the mix.
Then Siraj used his experience well and came up with a better plan for the England batters this time around. His line was more or less at the stumps, constantly asking questions of the batters. Sunil Gavaskar pointed to this, saying the pacer was a man with a plan.
"He certainly does, because obviously questions were being asked after England won the Test match chasing 370 in the fourth innings — so clearly questions were being asked of the Indian bowlers, and Siraj in particular. That was a very, very good bouncer to dismiss Stokes. And that's exactly what you want."
"A bouncer's got to be a real effort ball. It can't be that you're banging it in halfway down without it actually coming up. That was a super bouncer. And yes, I think he's looking to prove a point or two. He's bowled well, didn't get wickets yesterday, but today, look at the way — he's got Joe Root with a little bit of luck. That's how the game goes. You bowl a good ball, you don't get a wicket. You get catches dropped off your bowling or you don't get LBW decisions going your way — marginal decisions. So yes, sometimes you need luck, but that wicket of Ben Stokes was a superb delivery," said Gavaskar.
As a leader in the side, Siraj's job this time was not to experiment a lot and to stick to his strengths — and that’s exactly what he did. He has always been someone who is good when he is bringing the ball into the right-handers, and he stuck to the basics.
On a slow wicket, with not a lot on offer, Siraj's mantra was to bowl in the right areas and with discipline.
"The wicket was very slow, but when you are given a responsibility to lead the attack, my aim was to not try too much and just bowl in the right areas and bowl with discipline. My mindset was to keep it tight and not give away runs," he said.
While the game is far from done and so is the series, Siraj's performance comes at the right time for the Indian team, who will be aiming to secure the win and level the series at 1-1.
