Mohammed Siraj is playing the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo this week. It is part of a streak that now stretches past 20 consecutive Tests for India. No other Indian fast bowler in the current setup comes close to that number.
Since late 2023, Siraj has not missed a single Test. He played all four Tests against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. All five against England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. Both Tests against West Indies in October 2025. And now both Tests in Sri Lanka in August 2026. While Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the Sri Lanka tour and replaced by Auqib Nabi, Siraj was never in doubt for selection.
The numbers tell a clear story. Since January 2023, Siraj has bowled 1,231 overs across all formats, more than any other fast bowler in world cricket. Of those, 744 have come in Test cricket alone. He has played 91% of India’s Tests in that period. In 2025, he was the leading Test wicket-taker globally with 37 wickets in 8 matches. He is the only player to feature in all nine of India’s SENA Test wins this decade, taking 51 wickets at an average of 18.92 with four five-wicket hauls across those matches.
| Siraj | Bumrah | |
|---|---|---|
| Tests played (since Jan 2023) | 30 of 33 (91%) | ~22 of 33 (67%) |
| Overs bowled (all formats) | 1,231 | Managed carefully |
| 2025 Test wickets | 37 (8 matches) | Rested for multiple series |
| SENA wins featured in (this decade) | 9 of 9 | Selected series only |
The contrast is not about who is the better bowler. It is about who is always available and who is protected.
The System Behind the Streak
India’s pace structure has a simple logic. Bumrah gets managed because India cannot afford to lose him to injury, and India still has no real backup for him. Mohammed Shami’s body broke down repeatedly after the 2023 World Cup. No third seamer, not Prasidh Krishna, not Mukesh Kumar, not Akash Deep, has established himself as a guaranteed starter across conditions.
That leaves Siraj. He fills every gap. When Bumrah is rested, Siraj leads the attack. When Bumrah plays, Siraj operates as the workhorse from the other end. When conditions do not suit pace, as in Galle last week where his speed dropped to 126 kmph, he still plays because no one else offers the same reliability.
“Everyone’s workload is spoken about, but his is not. He would have bowled the most overs, but no one talks about him.”
Aakash Chopra, commentary during ENG vs IND 5th Test, August 2025
During the England tour, Siraj bowled 185 overs across five Tests, more than any other seamer on either side. He took 23 wickets and won Player of the Series. In his 30th over of the 5th Test at The Oval, he was still bowling at 90 mph. That detail did not escape the opposition.
“Mohammed Siraj has the absolute heart of a lion to bowl 90 mph in his 30th over of his fifth Test match.”
Brendon McCullum, post-match press conference, 5th Test, The Oval, August 2025
Joe Root called him “a character, a warrior, he’s a real warrior” after the same match. Virat Kohli posted on X: “Special mention to Siraj, who will put everything on the line for the team.”
Siraj’s own response to questions about workload has been consistent and blunt. Asked before the Manchester Test whether the workload was fair, he said his only aim was to give 100% so he had no regrets at the end of the day. After the series, he went further.
“Hundred percent I could’ve played even if there was another Test match.”
Mohammed Siraj, RevSportz interview, August 2025
That is not bravado. His record supports it. After the England tour, he played both Tests against West Indies in October 2025, taking four wickets on Day 1 of the first Test in Delhi. He did not ask for rest. He did not get any.
“I had to work hard for these four wickets here as well. Even in England, I had to work hard to get wickets. No one gave me the fifth wicket.”
Mohammed Siraj, after Day 1, IND vs WI 1st Test, October 2025
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Sunil Gavaskar used Siraj as the definitive example when arguing that Indian cricket should stop talking about workload altogether.
“For five Test matches, non-stop, he has bowled 7-8 over spells, because the captain wanted him and the country expected of him.”
Sunil Gavaskar, August 2025
His childhood mentor Mohammed Mahboob Ahmed, who coached him at Charminar Cricket Club in Hyderabad, offered context that goes deeper than any stat.
“He has always been a tough competitor. He does not shy away from a challenge. It comes from his tennis ball background where you need to bowl many overs continuously.”
Mohammed Mahboob Ahmed, PTI, August 12, 2026
That tennis ball background matters. Before Siraj entered professional cricket, he bowled on concrete pitches with a taped tennis ball where there was no spell limit, no rotation, no rest. You bowled until the game was over. That conditioning, both physical and mental, explains why workload management is a concept he does not engage with.
Insider Read
A fan watches Siraj bowl 90 mph in the 30th over and calls it heart. A fast bowler who has been there knows what that 90 mph costs the next morning. By the fourth Test of a series, a seamer operating on accumulated fatigue does not recover between spells the way he did in the first Test. The micro-recovery window, those 45 minutes between spells where the body is supposed to reset, shrinks with every match. Muscles that would normally bounce back in 20 minutes take 40. The lower back, which absorbs the full force of every delivery stride, starts sending signals earlier in the day. The knees absorb the landing differently. None of this shows up on the speed gun until it is too late.
What Siraj has done across 20 consecutive Tests is not just fitness. It is the ability to manage pain thresholds that most fast bowlers would use as a reason to sit out. Every seamer at the international level deals with discomfort. The question is always who plays through it and who reports it. Siraj’s answer has been the same for three years: he plays. That is not something a coach can teach or a fitness program can guarantee. It comes from a decision, repeated every morning of every Test, to walk out and bowl as if it were the first match of the series. The Galle Test showed the first visible cost. His pace dropped to 126 kmph. The team said he was “completely fit.” Anyone who has bowled fast knows there is a difference between fit and fresh. Siraj has not been fresh for a long time. He has just refused to let that stop him.
Also Read:
Sehwag says Siraj should have fearless bowling mindset
Bumrah replacement: India has no backup
Bumrah, Sudharsan, Sundar out of India Test squad Sri Lanka
Auqib Nabi replaces Bumrah Sri Lanka Tests
