Mohammed Siraj found himself at the centre of a training ground episode as India continued preparations for the second Test against England at Edgbaston, starting July 2. As the players pushed through intense practice sessions in Birmingham, Siraj’s reaction to a broken bat caught attention and brought a brief moment of levity to an otherwise serious buildup.
With India’s lower order having faltered in the series opener at Headingley, it seems head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak have also instructed the bowlers to work overtime on their batting in the nets. Siraj, too, has been sweating it out in the hope of becoming a more reliable tail-ender. But during one such session, he noticed something was off with his bat, and what followed was both dramatic and comical.
“How’s my bat broken? Who broke my bat yaar (friend)?” asked Siraj, as reported by the Times of India in a training video. The pacer initially looked visibly annoyed, even shooting a sharp stare, only to burst into laughter moments later, letting the moment roll away with a grin.
While Siraj’s bat incident offered some light relief, India’s camp is dealing with more serious concerns regarding team composition. Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah is unlikely to feature in the second Test, as the management looks to monitor his workload. Gambhir had clarified ahead of the series that Bumrah wouldn’t play all five matches in the gruelling England tour.
With just a three-day gap between the second and third Tests, the Edgbaston clash appears the most probable for Bumrah to sit out. If that happens, India will look to bring in either Arshdeep Singh or Akash Deep to fill the void.
More responsibility on Siraj
Bumrah’s absence would also mean added pressure on Siraj, who becomes the senior-most fast bowler in the lineup. His performance in the first Test was underwhelming, claiming just two wickets across 41 overs. India will now look to Siraj not just for wickets, but also as a source of leadership in the pace department.
There are also speculations over who will replace Bumrah if the pacer sits out of the Edgbaston Test. While it was initially expected that either Akash Deep or Arshdeep Singh would step in for Bumrah, the training session told a different story, with both fast bowlers grinding it out in the nets, while Bumrah and Prasidhremained completely absent from practice.