Indian speedster Mohammed Siraj has earned a distinct name in cricketing folklore, known more popularly as the Indian Workhorse due to his nonchalant dedication to bowling long spells with the same energy, especially in Test cricket for Team India.
This extreme attitude of Mohammed Siraj being a rhythmic bowler who tends to excel in bowling longer spells without being exhausted first came to the fore during the 5-match Test series vs England, where, in the absence of key pacer Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj led the Indian pace attack, bowling relentlessly for 185 overs, the most in a series, only next to Chris Woakes, who bowled 181 overs, being the next best to Mohammad Siraj.
It was followed by a gruelling 2 and a half months of IPL 2026, where Mohammed Siraj, representing Gujarat Titans, bowled till the finals in a solid gruelling of 17 matches non-stop. This continuous bowling by the machine called Mohammad Siraj urged the management and the Indian selectors to think about workload management for the speedster, which, in fact, turned out to be a bane for Mohammad Siraj.
Workload management disrupts Mohammed Siraj’s bowling Rhythm
The Indian management stating that Mohammed Siraj has bowled continously starting from England series right upto the IPL 2026 now required a workload management had an immediate effect on the bowling form of Mohammad Siraj. With India’s crucial test series 2 months away from the IPL, Mohammad Siraj citing his relentless bowling was completely sidelined from the white-ball format despite being fit after the one off Test match vs Afghanistan.
This definitely had repurcussions on Mohammed Siraj who during India’s tour to Sri Lanka , a place and opposition which is considered as a favorite to Mohammed Siraj , seemed out of sorts while bowling in the Test match especially the second one where on the 4th and the Final day, Mohammed Siraj who was reverse swinging in England at will faltered to produce crucial breaks for Team India as and when required. One striking feature was clearly observed that not only Mohammad Siraj lacked speed but also didnt find the right line and lengths to bowl at the opposition.
This was evident even in the Duleep Trophy Final 2026, where bowling for South Zone he just bowled 41 overs over two innings but failed to make any significant impact which helped his team to put up a fight. Mohammad Siraj an avid follower and a quick learner was very humble to admit the same and explained his body mechanics and a need of a fast bowler to stay in rhythm.
Speedster Mohammad Siraj gets vocal about his body mechanisms amidst workload management
Mohammed Siraj who is aware regarding his sudden dip in form especially in his bowling speeds from 143kph in England to 125-130kph in Sri Lanka and Duleep Trophy Finals for South zone spoke his heart out regarding the reason for his dip in performance. His main focus was on the fact that Workload management is a term often used by the selectors to rest the bowler but does the bowler really needs it should be the decision of the player himself as lack of practice may affect the bowling performance of a particular bowler. He said taking his own reference :
“Every bowler’s body is different, but mine doesn’t handle long breaks well,” Siraj said after the Duleep Trophy final in Chennai.
“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.
Going further Mohammed Siraj stressed the importance of body mechanics for a fast bowler and explained that his body requires continous game practice and matches to maintain the rhythm of bowling. He also insisted the fact that long undue breaks also might disrupts line and length of the fast bowler if he is rhythmic in the case of Mohammad Siraj. He said :
“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. Out here, everything clicked into place, and the pace followed naturally,” he added.
The testament of the fact of Mohammed Siraj’s statement came on the backdrop that his speed tremendously reduced from 140s to 125s in Sri Lanka resulting in a poor tour for the bowler. Speaking further Mohammed Siraj stressed on the fact that his body requires a continous rhythm to get in the flow . He said :
“Coming off a two-month break straight into a match, my rhythm wasn’t quite there. Heading into this game [Duleep Trophy final], finding that flow was my primary goal. Playing this match helped tremendously. After two months off, your body doesn’t react the same way – everything feels a beat slower. Getting through this game got my body moving again and brought my rhythm right back.”
He further said about the Duleep Trophy Final stating that even if he bowled only 41 overs across 2 innings in the scorching heat in Chennai, he at the end of the match felt satisfied about his bowling rhythm coming back . He concluded by saying and admitting that :
“That’s just how my body works – the more overs I bowl, the better I get,” Siraj explained.
“If I don’t bowl extended spells, my rhythm won’t return. The break left my body feeling sluggish at the crease, so I told both myself and Tilak that I wanted to bowl as long as possible. I bowled spells of 10 and 11 overs, and that’s exactly what locked me back into rhythm.”
“At the end of the day, only I truly understand my own rhythm. No matter who I work with, it ultimately comes down to me running in smoothly. Once I do that, the rhythm takes care of itself,” he concluded.
This self analysis of Mohammad Siraj is a testament of the fact that workload management is only a myth when it comes to bowlers in any format of cricket and the real form of the bowler lies in his continous sweat spend on bowling on cricket grounds and not sitting out of it.
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