Currently, Team India doesn’t lack quality players. So much so that when the Test side will be touring England to play the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final followed by a five-match series against the hosts, another Indian team will tussle with Sri Lanka in their backyards.
Senior players Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah form the golden trio for the national side in Tests. On top of that, the Border Gavaskar trophy 2020/21 saw the emergence of young guns who dismantled the mighty Aussies in their backyard.
One such speedster that caught everyone’s eye was Mohammed Siraj. The Hyderabad-born was the highest wicket-taker for his side, scalping 13 wickets in three games.
Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman has opined that Siraj can be the next cricketing great provided he continues to work hard over the next few years.
“Provided he continues to work hard over the next few years, Siraj can be a really big name in international cricket. He certainly has the qualities and the potential to do so,” Laxman was quoted as saying by siasat.com.
Lauding the 27-year-old, Laxman added that Indian skipper Virat Kohli should use Siraj for longer spells. The veteran cricketer also recalled Siraj’s role in getting sealing the Australian Tests.
“Now in India, we are fortunate to have a battery of good fast bowlers. I feel that skipper Virat Kohli should use Siraj for the longer spells while giving the others short and sharp bursts. I feel that Siraj is only going to improve over time. We have seen him in action in Australia where he played a very important role in our attack and he will become even better with experience,” the 46-year-old asserted.
However, Laxman cautioned that the youngster should avoid injuries as fast bowlers frequently cut short their careers due to work overload.
“However, one of the important things that he has to be careful about is stress-related injuries resulting from work overload. Fast bowlers are often hampered by injury problems. So this is one aspect on which Siraj must focus. He must stay fit and take care to remain injury-free. Then only will he be able to fulfil his potential,” the cricketer-turned-commentator concluded.
