'He is the story of this season' - Parthiv Patel praises Mohammad Siraj for his IPL exploits

The last six months in the Indian cricket team have perhaps been the most productive duration when looked at from the perspective of new players making an impact. Ever since India embarked upon the tour of Australia and registered a historic victory in Border-Gavaskar Trophy beating countless odds, the team has witnessed a plethora of debuts across formats, with every player no less talented than the other.

One of such remarkable talents has been Indian pacer Mohammad Siraj, who had a much-improved performance in the recently-suspended IPL too. Plying his trade for the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore, Siraj has already been a crucial cog in the RCB setup, but in 2021, he took the responsibility of carrying the bowling attack like never before.

Praising him for all that he has achieved and done in the last few months, former India wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel went onto say that Siraj is the “story of this IPL”.

He was nailing yorkers: Parthiv Patel

“Absolutely they did (on RCB’s managed to resolve death over bowling issues). I thought the way Mohammed Siraj bowled this season. I think he is the story of this IPL. Everyone has spoken about Mohammed Siraj bowling well with the new ball and then not being able to bowl yorkers but this season he was nailing yorkers,” said Patel.

Earlier in the tournament, Siraj revealed the mantra behind his success, saying playing Test cricket has vastly helped him become a better bowler. “Obviously, my confidence is really high. Playing Test matches has helped my line and length. When I bowl with the new ball now, I try to bowl the Test-match line and length and that is giving me confidence. I always had that skill but got more experience by playing for India. Got to learn a lot from Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah after sharing the dressing room with them, and that helped my confidence,” Siraj had explained.

Siraj scalped 6 wickets in 7 matches in IPL 2021 at a brilliant economy of 7.34, whereas he pocketed 13 wickets in just 3 games, finishing as India’s highest wicket-taker during the Test series Down Under recently.