A Ball Too Good to Handle
In the heart of Ahmedabad, on a Thursday thick with tension and expectation, Roston Chase faced a delivery that no batter would envy. The bowler? Mohammed Siraj — quick, precise, and increasingly unpredictable. The ball he delivered wasn’t just a weapon; it was a masterstroke, one that squared Chase up so spectacularly, all he could offer was a meek edge to the wicketkeeper.
Siraj’s release was already angled in, courtesy of his signature beyond-the-perpendicular action. The delivery swung in by 0.7 degrees and carried a scrambled seam — a clue that usually signals a cutter. And yet, this ball defied expectation. It straightened off the seam, moving away just enough to catch Chase unaware. What looked like a safe nudge to the leg side turned into a fatal error.
West Indies crumbled to 105 for 6. Siraj had four of those wickets. This particular one, though, felt different.
Luck or Genius? Dissecting the Delivery
Was this brilliance by design or a fortunate outcome of nature’s random hand? A perfectly timed deviation off a responsive pitch? Or had Siraj planned this movement through seam orientation and subtle wrist variation?
At the end of the day’s play, Siraj addressed the mystery.
“The wobble-seam [ball] is like this, that it sometimes straightens and sometimes cuts,” he explained. “That ball kind of straightened towards the shiny side… and took the edge.”
It wasn’t entirely deliberate — but it wasn’t luck either. Siraj understood the probabilities, the mechanics, and embraced the unpredictability. Some deliveries cut in, some hold their line. That’s the magic of the wobble-seam, and Siraj has mastered its chaos.
A Journey of Relentless Effort
This wasn’t a flash in the pan. Siraj’s recent journey — from the hostile pitches of Australia to the green seams of England between November 2024 and August 2025 — has been one of unwavering discipline. In ten Tests across those countries, he bowled with skill, fire, and intelligence. Despite averages above 30, he never faltered in intensity or belief.
He gave batters sleepless nights, probing both edges, working with precision. Yet, his efforts often went unrewarded — a cruel trick the cricketing gods sometimes play on bowlers. That changed at The Oval, where he helped India to a dramatic series-levelling win with a performance for the ages.
But Thursday in Ahmedabad felt more personal — a quiet redemption, a nod from fate.
Wickets Earned, Not Gifted
Each of the four wickets Siraj took that day was earned. Tagenarine Chanderpaul gloved one down leg. Brandon King left a ball that cannoned into middle stump. Alick Athanaze chased one wide and edged it. Then came Chase’s dismissal — the most poetic of them all.
The day could’ve ended with a five-wicket haul. Siraj came close, trapping Justin Greaves lbw, only for DRS to show the ball missing leg stump. Even in a moment of triumph, the universe reminded him — some things remain out of reach.
At the press conference, a journalist suggested these wickets came easier than those in England. Siraj, ever respectful but clearly hurt, responded:
“Sir, even here I took four wickets only by working hard. No one gave me wickets for free.”
The Essence of Siraj
Siraj’s story is one of control — not over conditions or outcomes, but over effort and intent. He cannot command the seam’s behavior after the ball pitches. But he can command his lengths, his spirit, his consistency. And that’s what makes him special.
When the stars do align — when the seam hits just right, when the edge carries, when the appeal is upheld — it feels just. Because he’s done the work. And cricket, for all its randomness, sometimes remembers.
