Yes, that’s Siraj’s average against Australia’s top five batters in the last three Tests of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. To make matters worse, he has a balls-per-dismissal ratio of 182 and an economy rate of 4.1—numbers that are simply unacceptable.
With Mohammed Shami sidelined, Siraj was expected to provide strong support to Jasprit Bumrah. He began the 2024-25 BGT on a positive note, helping India secure a 295-run victory in Perth, where Bumrah was named Player of the Match. Siraj also finished with impressive match figures of 5/71 in 27 overs, dismissing key players like Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Usman Khawaja, and Steven Smith. He appeared to be a seasoned pacer on his second tour of Australia, leveraging his experience. However, his form has since declined sharply.
In five innings across Adelaide, Brisbane, and Melbourne, Siraj has taken only eight wickets at an average of 45.3. If you look closer, you’ll find that four of those eight dismissals have come against batters batting at No. 7 or lower.
Siraj managed to dismiss No. 7 Alex Carey in Adelaide, but by that point, Australia was already leading by over 100 runs. He also took out Steve Smith, who was batting at No. 7 in the second innings in Brisbane, but that was primarily because Australia was looking to score quickly before declaring. These instances highlight Siraj's ineffectiveness with the new ball.
In the same three Tests, Bumrah has excelled, taking 11 wickets at an average of 17.2 against Australia’s top five batters, clearly showcasing that he is operating at a significantly higher level than Siraj.
Siraj’s economy rates in his last five innings have been concerning: 4, 6.8, 4.2, 5.1, and 5.3—he hasn’t bowled at less than four runs per over. He has been punished by almost every Australian batter, including Head, Smith, Carey, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Khawaja, and Sam Konstas.
The issue with Siraj not taking wickets with the new ball is particularly alarming; he has only two wickets at an average of nearly 120 in his first four spells during these last three Tests. Six of his eight wickets came in his later spells, when the game had likely already slipped away from India.
This isn’t a recent problem for Siraj. The ongoing Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground marks his 35th, and he has an average of 31, which is mediocre for a second-choice bowler. His average in his first five spells has never been below 30, with the fourth and fifth spells often exceeding 40. Over the years, in any series where he has played more than two Tests, he has never averaged less than 30.
Even Siraj's overall statistics against top-five batters—47 wickets in 576.2 overs at an average of 43.3, with a balls-per-dismissal ratio of 73.6—aren't impressive. His Test average hovers around 30 primarily due to his strong performance against lower middle-order and tail-end batters, where he has taken 46 wickets at an average of 18.5.
Inconsistency is another significant concern for the Hyderabad-born seamer. There are innings where Siraj appears almost unplayable, yet on most days, he becomes the bowler who allows the opposition to seize control. This inconsistency is one reason he was dropped for the second home Test against New Zealand in Pune last October.
In the Melbourne Test, even when Bumrah had a challenging spell with the new ball, Siraj failed to step up, struggling to contain runs and take wickets. Konstas took him on in the early overs, while Smith and Cummins punished him mercilessly in the latter part of Australia's innings.
When things start to go wrong, Siraj has a tendency to lose his composure and make a fool of himself, as seen in the first innings at the MCG. It was here that he made his Test debut in 2020, playing a crucial role in helping India bounce back from a humiliating defeat in the opening Test in Adelaide.
Four years have passed since then, and the promise that many saw in him in 2020 has yet to be realized.
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