Achi news desk-
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In the latest manifestation of his transformation, Siraj destroyed the Gujarat titans with a two-goal burst in the power play, taking the wickets of Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill.
Siraj took an incredible 2-0-9-2 at that stage, and as expected will share the new ball with him Jasprit Bumrah In the ICC finals, it is also a huge boost for the national side.
Having worked with Siraj for the past five years, Assistant Coach Adam Griffith of the RCB attributed this change to him “swinging the ball again”.
“He’s the leader of our team. He’s played a lot for India in the last few years and he’s done it really well. It’s not just him bowling well. It’s his aggression, his body language, he takes the bats to try and get wickets. He’s such an important part of what that we are trying to do.
“To pick it up and get out, swing the ball again, bowl good pace and be aggressive is so important for us,” Griffith said at the post-match press conference in Bengaluru on Saturday after RCB beat GT by four wickets.
The Royal Challengers’ bowling performance, with a combined economy rate of 10.28 and 45 wickets, was the lowest of the IPL season.
As a leader, it was Siraj’s job to annoy the others, and he raised his hand.
Perhaps the nine days off between April 12 and April 20 helped him refocus and be more alert.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad match in Bengaluru, where they amassed an IPL record 287 for three, was the game he missed for the time being.
Griffith described the logic behind giving Siraj time off.
“He’s like any other player when they’re tired. It’s very important to give them that break. It’s just as important as the training component, sometimes even more important.
“He’s a pace player – his running is so important to what he does. So we want him fresh and running hard,” he said.
Siraj featured in four matches against Kolkata Knight Riders, SRH, and two against GT after his comeback from the break. In a high-scoring match against the Knight Riders, RCB lost by one run, but they won the other three.
In these three matches, Siraj had figures of 4-0-20-0, 4-0-34-1 and 4-0-29-2.
Griffith said Siraj struck a good balance between freedom and preparation.
“He knows his body really well. He knows what he needs to do to prepare and every now and then we might have to give him a little push in that direction.
“I’ve been with him for about five years now, so I can tell when he’s going well and when he needs a rest,” he added.
This version of Siraj was back in IPL 2023 when he picked up 19 wickets and 10 of them were in Power Play.
Siraj’s energy seemed to rub off on other bowlers as well, with youngster Yash Dayal bowling a frugal and productive spell up front – 4-0-21-2.
This meant that the Titans were restricted to the lowest Power Play score of this IPL season – 23/3.
Griffith said the RCB bowlers collectively managed to hit a better line as they achieved three wins on the bounce.
“We swung the ball all tournament beforehand. We talked about bowling a lot straighter and attacking the stumps as much as we can to challenge the batsmen’s defense and make them play aggressive shots if they want to come at us.
“That’s the challenge for them to do and the boys put them exactly where we wanted them (against GT),” he explained.
(with PTI inputs)
