India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj has revealed how a heartbreaking IPL season shaped his white-ball career. The right-arm speedster wants to maintain consistency and expects wickets to follow.
Siraj has been unstoppable in the 50-over format. He registered figures of 10-1-32-4 to bundle Sri Lanka out for 73 in Thiruvanthapuram on Sunday.
Siraj took nine wickets at 10.22, and an economy rate of 4.05 in the series as the Rohit Sharma-led team made a series clean sweep.
“When my IPL went bad, I decided to work on my white-ball bowling and change my career. I started working on my skills, and when I did well in one or two ODIs, I got the confidence,” he said.
The Hyderabad-born pacer, who plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore, dismissed just nine batters in 15 games in the 2022 edition at an average of 57.11 and an economy of 10.08. Siraj was still retained by the franchise for the next season.
Siraj added that he regularly goes for wickets even if he concedes runs.
“I don’t focus on results as I want to be consistent with my line and length. Then my performance started to improve,” he added.
“I want to be a satisfied bowler even if I don’t get wickets. The series went well for me. My plan was to get wickets with the new ball and put pressure on Sri Lanka. I didn’t mind giving away runs as wickets with the new ball can put the rivals under pressure.”