ENG vs IND 2025: 'Mohammed Siraj is dependent on others for his wickets, unlike Jasprit Bumrah' - Aakash Chopra analyses skills of Indian pacers
"Not all bowlers might be as skillful as Bumrah, and at times, when you are with Bumrah, you aren't noticed despite being skillful," Aakash Chopra opined.
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Indian fans consider themselves blessed to have two quality fast bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj in their ranks. While Bumrah is renowned for his consistency across formats, Siraj is the workhorse who always keeps coming at the opposition batters.
Bumrah has picked up 12 wickets from two Tests in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Meanwhile, Siraj is the leading wicket-taker, having bagged 13 wickets from three Tests.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra said that Siraj is an important bowler in the Indian team but his contributions often tends to go unnoticed as he relies on other fielders to get his dismissals, unlike Bumrah, who gets a lot of dismissals bowled. Chopra cited that players who played alongside stalwarts like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli often got overshadowed despite performing brilliantly.
"Not all bowlers might be as skillful as Bumrah, and at times, when you are with Bumrah, you aren't noticed despite being skillful. You will look inferior whenever you are with an all-time great. Then people will dismiss you. It would have seemed like that when people were playing with Sachin paaji and Virat," Chopra said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
"That does not mean the guy is not good. He is skillful. Sometimes a bowler like Siraj is dependent on others. If you look at Bumrah, he gets a lot of dismissals bowled. Siraj's best wicket-taking method is caught by others. If he doesn't get that help, like Jamie Smith's catch was dropped, the poor guy keeps bowling, but is unable to pick up those many wickets," he added.
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Ahead of India's tour of England, head coach Gautam Gambhir mentioned that Bumrah will only play three out of the five Tests. He has already featured in two out of the three Test matches. However, with India trailing 1-2, it will be interesting to see whether the tourists change their plans regarding their talismanic pacer. Meanwhile, Siraj is also due for a break as he has been playing consistently for the Men in Blue this year.
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