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One of the biggest selection headaches facing the Indian management ahead of the first Test between India and England is the issue of playing Mohammed Siraj in the XI. Apart from this, they have to find an opener to accompany Rohit Sharma out to the middle, in addition to figuring out the bowling combination they wish to go with.
If they have learnt any lessons from the World Test Championship final, they will be keen to play Mohammed Siraj in the first Test. One pacer who could make way for Siraj is Ishant Sharma.
In an interview in the lead up to this series, Mohammad Siraj set his sights on the biggest fish in England's line-up. The Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer had the following to say to Times of India:
"Joe Root is England's best batsman. I am targeting his wicket and there are others too who I want to target. I dismissed Root during the home series and he is part of my plan of action. My aim is to take as many wickets for my team as possible."
We take a look at three reasons why Siraj should get a go in the first Test in Nottingham.
1. Mohammed Siraj is a great swing bowler
As opposed to Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj is a swing bowler that gets the ball to move in the air and then hits the seam. This will bolster the Indian bowling attack as they will be bowlers for all conditions.
Given that Siraj is not too competent with the bat, it will be difficult to cram all the four fast bowlers together in the side and hence, someone has to make way for the bowler from Hyderabad.
There are reports that the Indian side are keen to field as many as four pacers on a Trent Bridge pitch that is expected to assist the seamers, and Ravindra Jadeja could be the player who makes way to accommodate Mohammed Siraj.
2. Siraj can bowl long spells
Mohammed Siraj made his debut in the Boxing Day Test against Australia last year and was mighty impressive in his first series. He finished the tour with 13 wickets and gave a great account of not only his skills, but also his temperament and ability to bowl long spells.
This could tilt the scales in his favour as when the sun is out in England, things generally go flat and this is when Virat Kohli will need a bowler to plug away at one end to keep the pressure up. Siraj has honed his skills by bowling long spells in first-class cricket and this trait will come in handy for him.
3. Great ally to Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami
Both Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah are hit-the-deck bowlers who rely on huslting the batsmen with pace and movement off the surface. If the pitch is not too responsive, they generally look to contain the batsmen and hence, Siraj will come in handy.
One of Siraj's greatest strengths is his ability to move the ball in the air and extract any assistance from the conditions. Swing bowlers are generally more successful in England and this is why Siraj should feature in the match as a great foil to both Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.
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