India vs England: Who is taking care of Mohammed Siraj's workload?

For Indian cricket fans all across the globe, it is almost impossible to forget Mohammed Siraj's unfortunate dismissal from the iconic India vs England Lord's Test match. It was a massive heartbreak for the Indian cricket team who suffered a disappointing 22-run loss in the third Test match against England and are now trailing 1-2 in the five-match Test series. Team India is now busy with their preparations for the do-or-die contest against home team scheduled to begin from July 23, 2025 at the Old Trafford in Manchester. There has been a lot of chatter amongst the experts and Indian team about the worload management of premier speedster Jasprit Bumrah, however, there is another fast bowler in Mohammed Siraj who has also bowled a lot of overs across formats especially in the last two years. 

India vs England: Who is managing the workload of Mohammed Siraj?

Without much of doubt, Jasprit Bumrah has been the man with the ball for the Indian team across the three formats of the game in the recent few years. He has delivered with match-winning performances in crucial situations. Even in the ongoing India vs England five-match Test series, Bumrah has managed to pick up two five-wicket hauls while playing in a couple of Test matches, however, unfortunately India have ended up losing both of them. On the other hand, there is another fast bowler in Mohammed Siraj who has been the workhorse for this Indian team across formats in the last few years. 

Yes, Mohammed Siraj got some crucial rest period from the game when he was not picked in the India ODI team for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, but it is also a fact that the Hyderabad-born pacer performed extremely well when Bumrah was out due to injury. He ended up taking a sensational six-wicket haul in the first innings of the 2nd Test against South Africa in Cape Town, where eventually, India registered a wonderful 7-wicket victory to level the two-match Test series. 

During the ongoing England vs India Test series, Mohammed Siraj is currently the leading wicket-taker with a total of 13 scalps from three games at an average of 33. He ended up taking an impressive six-wicket haul in the historic Edgbaston Test triumph. He also picked up two crucial wickets on Day 4 of the Lord's Test to help his team make a comeback. However, nobody really talks about the workload management of Siraj and the amount of overs he bowls in any particular format. Currently, the 31-year-old speedster has bowled a total of 109 overs in three Test matches. 

"It is equally important to manage the workload of someone like Mohammed Siraj, who is always ready to bowl those extra overs, like Stokes did on day five at Lord's," said assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate during the media conference.

"We take for granted how lucky we are to have someone like that. I know he doesn't always have the returns that you expect from a fast bowler, but in terms of heart, he's like a lion and what he brings to this bowling attack, whenever he does have the ball in hand, you always feel like something's going to happen," he added.

Despite all of the above talks, the biggest cricket update is that Mohammed Siraj will surely be thriving to contribute with a match-winning performance in Manchester and help India level the Test series. On the other hand, it is also expected that the conditions and weather will work in the favour of fast bowlers as seen over the years at the Old Trafford in Manchester. Jasprit Bumrah is very much likely to play the ENG vs IND fourth Test match as it is the deciding game for the visiting side. 

"We know we have got him for one of the last two Tests. It's pretty obvious that the series is on the line now in Manchester so there will be a leaning towards playing him," Ten Doeschate stated. 

"But again, we have got to look at all the factors: how many days of cricket are we going to get up there, what do we feel is our best chance of winning that game, and then how that fits in together with The Oval. And looking at the last two games holistically as part of the series," he concluded.