India coach snubs Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, declares this player as team's LION

India National Cricket Team assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has lavished high praise on the premier right-arm pacer Mohammed Siraj ahead of the Manchester Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

Ryan ten Doeschate said that they are quite lucky to have a player like Mohammed Siraj in the Indian team and labelled himself as the lion.

Mohammed Siraj - the leading wicket-taker in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy

The 31-year-old pacer Mohammed Siraj has looked in good form in the ongoing five-match Test series against the England National Cricket Team.

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With the pitches being flatter in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, the bowlers have found it hard to get going, but Siraj has made sure to give it all whenever he steps on the field.

In the first Test match at Headingley in Leeds, Siraj struggled to find rhythm and returned with the figures of 2/122 and 0/51 across two innings.

However, Siraj bounced back with an exceptional performance in the second Test match and led the bowling attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah.

He registered brilliant figures of 6/70 in the first innings and in the second innings, he returned with figures of 1/57, playing a vital role in India's dominant 336-run victory at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

Meanwhile, in the third Test match at Lord's in London, Siraj had the bowling figures of 2/85 and 2/31 in the losing cause. Overall, he is the leading wicket-taker in the ongoing series with 13 scalps under his belt at an average of 32.

In terms of heart, he's like a lion and what he brings to this bowling attack - Ryan ten Doeschate

Mohammed Siraj has already bowled a whopping 109 overs in the ongoing series, which is the most among Indians, and the talks have emerged about his workload management.

Speaking about this, India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said that Mohammed Siraj is taken for granted at times. In an interaction with reporters, he elaborated:

"First thing I'll say is it hasn't felt like a long tour. It's been exciting from day one, like you get up every morning and you can't wait for what the next day brings. Obviously these guys are working so hard, especially the guys who are new to the squad, so it's been a very refreshing tour in that sense. Let's first start with Siraj before we talk about Bumrah."

Also Read: Gautam Gambhir forcing 'half-fit' Rishabh Pant to play Manchester Test? India coach breaks silence

"I think we take for granted how lucky we are to have someone like that. I know he doesn't always have the returns that you expect from a fast bowler, but in terms of heart, he's like a lion and what he brings to this bowling attack, whenever he does have the ball in hand you always feel like something's going to happen."

It makes it even more important for us to manage his workload - India coach

Doeschate added that Mohammed Siraj is someone who is always ready to over-bowl without caring too much about the workload, and it is important for the Indian team management to manage him properly, so that he can deliver for the team to the best of his abilities. He said:

"He's not someone who's going to shy away from workload, so it makes it even more important for us to manage his workload and make sure that he's at least fit to give his best. Again, we'll take a call on the combination we play, particularly given the Arshdeep situation as well, we'll make that call closer to Manchester."

The Arshdeep Singh situation that the India coach referred to is related to an injury issue in the camp. Notably, Arshdeep Singh, who has been warming the bench, suffered a cut on one of his fingers on the bowling hand while intercepting the ball in his follow-through during training. His hand was taped after the incident, and he is under medical observation.