Laxman said 'I can recommend him to selectors if you...': Bharat Arun reveals how star India pacer was fast-tracked
Former India bowling Bharat Arun shed light on a chat he had with VVS Laxman about a future bowling prospect, revealing how he fast-tracked the talent.
When one thinks of the Indian cricket team between 2017 and 2021, the two names that take most credit are Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri. The former India coach-captain pair was instrumental in taking the team to great heights which saw them succeed in overseas tours, including back-to-back Test series win in England and take a 2-1 lead in England. However, the one name that doesn't get the kind of mention he should is Bharat Arun. The former India bowling coach led a bowling revolution which saw the emergence of a five-pronged pace attack featuring Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj. These five men went on to pave the way for India's improved showing in SENA nations, regularly picking up 20 wickets in Tests.
By the time Arun took over, Ishant and Umesh had been around for a while. Shami too was no stranger to playing Tests, whereas the story of how India unleashed Bumrah and the idea that went behind it is not a secret anymore. The real story barring that of Bumrah is the rise of Siraj, from being a rookie pacer to the leader of India's pace attack in just a span of three Tests. He made his debut in the MCG Test of the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy and by the time it was time for the final match at the Gabba in Brisbane, he was spearheading the bowling. Today, in just over two years, Siraj has become an automatic third-pacer option shoving Ishant and Umesh down in the pecking order.
Revealing an interesting story about Siraj, Arun recalled how he spotted the young pacer while he was with the Royal Challengers Bangalore. The year seems to be 2015, when as a net bowler, Siraj left him mighty impressed and Arun approached VVS Laxman, who was the mentor of Sunrisers Hyderabad to know about the pacer's whereabouts.
"I first saw Siraj when I was the bowling coach of RCB. We were playing Sunrisers and he had come in as a net bowler. Instantly, when I looked at him, he appeared extremely sharp, very impressive and I clearly remember walking up to Laxman and talking about him. I said 'He is such a talented bowler. Is he playing any cricket in Hyderabad?' He said, 'Not that I can think of but I can recommend his name to the selectors if you are so impressed'. And then that was the end of the story," Arun said on the Cricbuzz show 'Rise of New India'.
Arun's mind then harks back to 2017 when he worked closely with Siraj for the first time. Arun had joined the Hyderabad Ranji Trophy team as its coach and immediately got Siraj in the reckoning. The move proved to work wonders as Siraj finished the season with 41 wickets for Hyderabad and finished as the third-highest wicket-taker of the season behind Shahbaz Nadeem and Anupam Sanklecha.
"As providence would have it, I came back the next year as the coach of Hyderabad and Siraj was not part of the team. So when I asked for Siraj, they brought him to the selection panel and after I insisted, Siraj was included in the Hyderabad Ranji team. He went on to be the highest wicket-taker that year. The enthusiasm and the energy he showed when he was bowling was very unique and that was one of the main reasons for Siraj to be successful. The kind of energy he showed is required for a fast bowler," revealed Arun.
As fate would have it, Siraj made his India debut later that year in a T20I against New Zealand. For the next two years, Siraj's heavy economy-rate was a concern but it changed for the good once he entered the cauldron of Test cricket. And the rest, as they say, is history.
