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Siraj Goes Past Kohli In Test Appearences This Decade, Stands Tall Amid ‘Bumrah Rest’ Era

Aakash Saini

Mohammed Siraj and Virat Kohli [Source: @mdsirajofficial, @ImTanujSingh/x]Mohammed Siraj and Virat Kohli [Source: @mdsirajofficial, @ImTanujSingh/x]

Indian fast bowler Mohammed Siraj played the 40th Test of his career through his latest appearance against England at Old Trafford in Manchester. Notably, the match also helped him soar past Virat Kohli in terms of becoming India’s most capped Test cricketer of the ongoing 2020s decade, doing so amidst the ever-prevalent rotation policies and workload management era for fellow pacemen like Jasprit Bumrah.

Workhorse Mohammed Siraj Goes Past Virat Kohli, Bumrah

In an era where the Indian team management frequently discuss about resting Jasprit Bumrah from the playing XI to manage his workload, fellow fast bowler Mohammed Siraj has quietly emerged as a relentless workhorse, showing up match after match without complaints.

Siraj, who made his Test debut during India’s tour of Australia in late December 2020, has now featured in more Tests than any other Indian cricketer in the 2020s. Remarkably, he holds this distinction despite having missed nearly the entire calendar year of 2020, underlining his consistency and durability in the seasons that followed.

Mohammed Siraj soared past Virat Kohli by playing his 40th Test of the decade and his career, doing so against England at Old Trafford in Manchester a few days ago. The speedster grinded out by bowling 30 overs in the match to reach 139 overs for the series after the first four Tests.

Legendary Indian batter Virat Kohli, on the other hand, played 39 Tests during the same period before confirming his retirement from the format last month.

Where’s Workload Management For All-Format Star Mohammed Siraj?

Much like Jasprit Bumrah, 31-year-old Mohammed Siraj is also India’s all-format pace exponent. However, Siraj has still often fallen under the radar when it comes to rest and workload management. Rarely rotated out of the playing XI, the Hyderabad cricketer has carried a lion’s share of the bowling burden without any burnout.

His quiet endurance offers a valuable lesson in resilience, and the often-overlooked virtue of simply showing up.

Nonetheless, Mohammed Siraj is now all set to make his Test appearance number 41 for Team India, as they take on England in the series-deciding fifth match from July 31 onwards. The five-day Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy spectacle will be hosted by The Oval in London.