Mohammed Siraj practises batting skills ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test [Watch] 

Team India pacer Mohammed Siraj was spotted working hard and honing his batting skills ahead of the second Test against England. The tail-enders, including Siraj, were slammed for their poor batting display in the series opener in Headingley, Leeds, after being part of multiple collapses that played a huge role in the eventual five-wicket defeat.

The 31-year-old pacer has often been criticised for his lack of patience, rash strokeplay, and poor judgement while batting in the lower order. The competitive nature of the five-match series means that every run counts, and while England's lower-order stepped in to add some valuable some to negate the lead, the Indian counterparts did the opposite.

No Indian batter batting below No.7 recorded double figures. Siraj remained not out on three in the first innings, and was dismissed for a golden duck by Josh Tongue in the second innings. Amid calls for better batting performance by the lower half of the batting order to not let the pure batters' work be in vain, the bowlers dedicated time to work on their batting in the nets.

In the footage (via Times of India), he is seen defending carefully while also carefully leaving the bouncers. He was also seen conversing with assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate in the nets.

The pacer has largely been the designated No.11 since the start of his Test career, but now with Prasidh Krishna also in the mix, he has had to bat slightly up the order. In his first five innings, he had recorded double figures twice, but since then, across 46 innings, he has only been able to do it once more.

"Don’t bowl with your heart, bowl with your mind" - Mohammad Kaif urges Mohammed Siraj to step up in ENG vs IND 2025 Test series

Apart from Siraj's batting, his bowling also copped criticism after the first Test. The senior-most pacer in the Indian team after Bumrah, the right-arm pacer, failed to back up the spearhead's heroics from the other end.

He was wayward in terms of his bowling areas in the first innings, and was taken on by Harry Brook. The seamer improved a touch in the second innings, bowling a tight first spell, but could not make a significant impact.

“People say Mohammed Siraj tried very hard, bowls with his heart. Sir, don’t bowl with your heart, bowl with your mind and with line and length where we can get wickets," Kaif said on his YouTube channel (via Hindustan Times).

The second Test between India and England is scheduled to take place at Edgbaston, Birmingham, from Wednesday, July 2, onwards.