When Mohammed Siraj received a rare two-month break after a gruelling 12 months spent on the road, little did he know then that it would bite him back in the most unexpected way. Those two months of deserved break – which most Indian cricketers don’t enjoy— came as an off-season of sorts, allowing him to work on his fitness by hitting the gym regularly. But at 32, Siraj didn’t know his body had already tuned into the gruelling schedule. The outcome of enjoying the break was when Siraj returned to the Test squad. He appeared a different bowler, one struggling for form and bowling mostly in the late 120kmph to early 130 kmph.

While most pacers would have found the break time valuable, with Siraj the story is different. “Every bowler’s body is different, but mine doesn’t handle long breaks well,” a candid Siraj admitted. “A short breather is fine, but in my 10-year career, I had never taken two full months off. I was working out in the gym and bowling occasionally, but no amount of practice can replicate match intensity. It was a new experience, but a valuable learning curve for me going forward,” Siraj said at the end of the Duleep Trophy final in Chennai on Thursday.

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Sans any proper match practice, in both Tests in Sri Lanka, India missed an on-song Siraj. Curiously during the Colombo Test, in search of the elusive rhythm, he tried different ways, even shortening his run-up that showed how desperate he was for the one quality that makes the pacer he is. All of it meant his pace dropped by several yards. “I’m purely a rhythm bowler. If I’m not in sync, I simply can’t explode through the crease. That was the struggle in Sri Lanka — my run-up felt disjointed. Some strides were too short, others were too long, and that broke my flow and cost me pace. Out here, everything clicked into place, and the pace followed naturally.”

To re-groove him, the selectors made him play the Duleep Trophy final in Chennai. In testing heat conditions, he struggled with the ball. In the first innings, he sent down 25 overs and conceded 145 runs with no wickets to show. The economy rate of 5.60 showed how much he struggled for rhythm and was wayward. While most would see this as a game to forget for Siraj, the pacer found the positive side. The speed guns showed he was getting better by the end of the game.

Out of rhythm

“Coming off a two-month break straight into a match, my rhythm wasn’t quite there. Heading into this game, finding that flow was my primary goal. Playing this match helped tremendously. After two months off, your body doesn’t react the same way—everything feels a bit slower. Getting through this game got my body moving again and brought my rhythm right back,” Siraj said.

In Chennai, Siraj did everything he could to regain his rhythm. In conditions where Mohammed Shami didn’t bowl a spell for more than four  overs, Siraj delivered long spells. The seven he sent down straight in the second innings with the new ball was the highest. With the game already in East Zone’s bag by then, he pushed captain Tilak Varma to hand him the ball.

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“That’s just how my body works — the more overs I bowl, the better I get. If I don’t bowl extended spells, my rhythm won’t return. The break left my body feeling sluggish at the crease, so I told both myself and Tilak that I wanted to bowl as long as possible. I bowled spells of 10 and 11 overs, and that’s exactly what locked me back into rhythm,” Siraj said.

After the conclusion of Day 2, which was also the end of East Zone’s first innings, Siraj spent considerable time with Mohammed Shami. Amongst the lengthening shadows, the senior pacer appeared to pass on a message or two. “In the first innings, Siraj wasn’t quite finding his natural rhythm compared to how he bowled later. I just reminded him to get back on top, he needed to return to his core strengths. When your run-up and rhythm are in sync, your line and length fall into place automatically,” Shami revealed his conversation with Siraj.

In the second innings, Siraj slowly rediscovered the old self. The run-up went back to where it used to be. The speedometer showed him get back to the high 130kmph, the tanned face didn’t mask the work he put in the first-class fixture. “My approach relies on fluid, uninterrupted acceleration rather than staccato steps. Coming back after a two-month layoff, my body was just recalibrating its stride lengths. In this match, it all felt completely natural again,” Siraj added.

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The importance of rhythm to Siraj’s bowling can’t be understated. When he is in rhythm he gives the feeling that he is in with a chance of taking a wicket every ball he delivers. He may not end up having a complete Test, but invariably delivers a spell that is game changing. “It’s about mindset. Whenever I step onto the field, I have one non-negotiable rule: give 100%. If you aren’t leaving everything out there, you simply don’t deserve to play for your country. That’s my philosophy: give your absolute all, because that’s the only way you earn the right to wear the national jersey,” he said.