Sanjay Manjrekar demands immediate action from Team India to address Mohammed Siraj's poor form

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has spoken about Mohammed Siraj's numbers in Test cricket lately. Manjrekar feels that Siraj must be shown his recent numbers in Tests, which have not been great.

The former India batter also hinted at Akash Deep's inclusion in the second Test match against New Zealand at Pune. Akash Deep didn't play the first Test at Bengaluru despite the pitch offering a high amount of assistance to the seam bowlers.

India captain Rohit Sharma later admitted to his failure to read the pitch which did not help India in the game. India decided to play with three spinners and included the left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav in place of Akash Deep.

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Sanjay Manjrekar speaks on Mohammed Siraj's performance

While speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Sanjay Manjrekar praised Mohammed Siraj for his efforts on the field but mentioned that his team wanted some more from him on a pitch assisting fast bowlers.

"You've got to put Mohammed Siraj in the spotlight. I just love his attitude. That dive that he put in while he was in the middle of a spell, those are the things to admire," Manjrekar said.

"But finally, this Test match has been about fast bowlers bringing their teams into the game and that's where I thought India wanted more from Mohammed Siraj. He is an experienced bowler now," he added.

Mohammed Siraj returned figures of 2-94 in 18 overs in New Zealand's first innings. He conceded runs at a run rate of 4.66 which did not help India's cause. In the second innings, Siraj bowled a tight spell and returned with 0-16 in 7 overs.

However, India needed wickets from their premier fast bowler and Siraj was unable to find a wicket. In contrast, Jasprit Bumrah was brilliant and picked up the wickets of New Zealand openers. But, Bumrah lacked support from the other end.

'Siraj must be shown his numbers of late'

Is his form a worry? #INDvNZ #MatchDay pic.twitter.com/G0MUW8EvSp

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) October 21, 2024

Mohammed Siraj doesn't have recent form - Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar further expressed his surprise after Rohit Sharma gave the ball to Mohammed Siraj in the second innings. The cricketer-turned-commentator feels that Siraj has all the skills required but does not have the form behind him.

"I was surprised that Rohit Sharma went to him for this reason as well. You might go to (Jasprit) Bumrah and if he is not bowling well, you might still want to bowl him more because of his track record and recent form. Siraj hasn't had that," Manjrekar reckoned.

"Give Siraj that impression that we are concerned about your form and that should be enough because he is a trier, he has got some skills, but somewhere, you tend to think and feel that he is flying under the radar a little bit with his returns," he added.

Mohammed Siraj must be shown his recent numbers - Sanjay Manjrekar

The former India cricketer further reckoned that the Indian team management needs to show Siraj his recent numbers. He also added that Akash Deep can get a chance if the pitch in Pune has something for fast bowlers.

"I think somewhere the team management or anyone has to sort of bring that into focus and that should be the way to get him back in because there aren't too many around who you can say are definitely better than Mohammed Siraj."

"Akash Deep will come in if there is something there in Pune for the seam bowlers. But Siraj must be shown his numbers of late," Manjrekar added.

Akash Deep played in both the Tests against Bangladesh before the home Tests against New Zealand. In 2 Tests, he picked up 5 wickets at an average of 20.40. Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj picked up 4 wickets in 2 Tests at an average of 34.50.