Mohammed Siraj should be given rest for a couple of reasons – Brian Lara. The 30-year-old has taken only four wickets in RCB’s six games and conceded runs at a rate of 10.41 per over.
West Indies star Brian Lara believes Mohammed Siraj should take a sabbatical after Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) lost by seven wickets to Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL 2024. Siraj, one of India’s best pacers, has struggled with his form since the start of the 2017 IPL.
The 30-year-old has taken only four wickets in RCB’s six games and conceded runs at a rate of 10.41 per over. Notably, he was one of the standout bowlers for RCB in the previous edition, taking 19 wickets in 14 matches with an economy rate of 7.52.
Lara stated that Siraj has been a distinguished bowler for India and RCB, but he needs a break.
“He should be allowed to rest for a variety of reasons. Should reflect on what has been happening in the team. He is the same Siraj who has taken wickets with the new ball in Tests, one-day cricket, and even in this T20 format. He has been a champion bowler for Team India and has also performed admirably for RCB. But I believe he is not doing his job properly; he needs rest, not only mentally but also physically, after playing so much cricket,” Lara told Star Sports.
“He’s played four tests against England, and he’s always been a part of the Indian team no matter what series they were playing. And he bowls a lot of overs. He appears tired, both physically and mentally. And with this kind of hammering, any bowler will struggle to wake up the next day feeling normal. I’ve also been in situations where I was hammered by different batters; you have to give yourself some time to relax, think about your game. Work hard in the nets, work on your game, and come back stronger, as we’ve seen Siraj do, and I’m confident he will,” he added.
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Cricket pundits have heavily criticised RCB’s bowling lineup. Captain Faf du Plessis recently told the batters that they should aim for 220 runs if they batted first. It is worth noting that, despite setting a formidable target of 197 runs in their last match against MI at Wankhede. The three-time finalists were defeated as the Hardik Pandya-led side easily chased down the target with 27 balls remaining.
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