India pacer Siraj says his body 'doesn't handle long breaks well'
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "India pacer Siraj says his body 'doesn't handle long breaks well'")
Siraj says his body 'doesn't handle long breaks well' Photograph: (TNCA)
Mohammed Siraj admitted a 2-month break disrupted his rhythm, leading to struggles in Sri Lanka and 0/140 in the Duleep Trophy final. He is rested for India's upcoming T20I series vs Afghanistan.
Mohammed Siraj is one of India's premier fast bowlers now, and he was leading the pace attack on the recent Test tour of Sri Lanka. The pacer, however, was out of sync for the most part and said it was because of the two-month break he got before the series. Siraj's trouble with rhythm continued in the first innings of the Duleep Trophy final, in which he turned up for South Zone against East Zone, conceding 140 runs in 25 overs at 5.60 per over as East Zone piled up a match-winning 708 runs.
Siraj says long break messed up rhythm
At a time when frequent injuries to Indian players have brought workload management into the spotlight, Siraj's comments about 'getting too much break' are a bit interesting.
"I'm purely a rhythm bowler. If I'm not in sync, I simply can't explode through the crease. 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," said the pacer after the final day of the Duleep Trophy final in sweltering Chennai.
"Every bowler's body is different, but mine 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. I was working out in the gym and bowling occasionally, but no amount of practice can replicate match intensity. It was a new experience, but a valuable learning curve for me going forward," he added.
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What's next for India and Siraj?
India next play a three-match T20I series against Afghanistan from September 13 in New Delhi, with the next two matches scheduled for Sep 15 and 17. The Men in Blue will then go to Japan for the 2026 Asian Games while hosting West Indies for an ODI series at home during the same period. Siraj isn't part of India's squad for either the Afghanistan series or the Asian Games.
