Jasprit Bumrah's injury the reason behind Mohammed Siraj's career claims Paras Mhambrey

Paras Mhambrey, the former bowling coach of the Indian Cricket Team, has revealed that Jasprit Bumrah’s constant injuries last year allowed the team to develop the star pacer, Mohammed Siraj. Mhambrey opened up about the process by which Siraj evolved as a white-ball bowler for Team India.

Bumrah missed a lot of cricket last year, including the WTC Final against Australia, it led the Indian cricket team management to look into Siraj to fulfill the premier speedster’s duties for them, and he did it fantastically, becoming the number one ODI bowler in the ICC rankings.

Paras Mhambrey opens up about Mohammed Siraj's evolution as a white-ball bowler for Team India

Hailing the Hyderabad pacer’s development, Mhambrey said that Siraj took responsibility and took charge of the team’s pace attack in Bumrah’s absence and delivered the results for the side. However, he said that they worked hard behind the scenes to make this happen.

The former bowling coach revealed that Siraj's evolution as a white-ball bowler has been a product of careful planning, consistent effort, and the support of captain Rohit Sharma.

Mhambrey mentioned that Siraj’s journey to becoming the No. 1-ranked ODI bowler was focused on data-driven strategies, clear communication, sticking to a plan, and gradually building the pacer’s skills and confidence.

He further noted that Rohit’s approval of the plans played a crucial role in Siraj's development, ensuring the bowler could execute his strategy and plans with confidence.

Rohit Sharma was a big help in Mohammed Siraj's development: Paras Mhambrey

Paras Mhambrey was quoted as saying by The Indian Express: “That’s something we constantly worked on and that’s where data and communication come in. We had a lot of one-on-one chats so that he sticks to a plan. It won’t come straight away. We told him what we expected from him. And it was wonderful to have Rohit also buy into the plan.

Once Rohit trusted the plan, the bowler wasn’t going to be reluctant. He was given the time and Rohit trusted him because we saw the potential in Siraj. And with the help of data, we were able to pass on the right message to him.”

Mhambrey admitted that Siraj made mistakes during the learning process but made steady improvements with each match. According to Mhambrey, transitioning from red-ball to white-ball cricket required refining lengths and maintaining control over extended periods, and he felt Siraj showed commendable growth in those areas.

It was all about cutting down the margins: Mhambrey

With pace, variations, and the ability to extract movement from the surface, Siraj's expertise in T20 cricket provided India with a platform to enhance his precision in ODIs and the former coach said they just had to cut down the margin of errors.

Mhambrey signed off by saying, “Mistakes did happen, but with every game, he was progressing. From red ball to white ball, he had to work a lot on his lengths and show control and discipline for long periods. Siraj had everything – pace, variations, and control. He could generate something off the surface.

We used T20s to good use because he has less margin of error in the format and once you get the control there, you take that into ODIs as well. That is what Siraj did. It was all about cutting down the margins.”