IND vs NZ: Mohammed Siraj understands his bowling a lot better now, says captain Rohit Sharma

Indian captain Rohit Sharma feels Mohammed Siraj understands his bowling a lot better now. Siraj has done a fine job for the national team in the recent past and he has bowled at the top of his game. The fast bowler from Hyderabad has developed his outswing, which has reaped rewards for him.

Siraj returned with impressive figures of 4-32 in the final ODI of the series against Sri Lanka. The right-arm pacer had got the ball to swing both ways to breathe down the neck of the opposition bowlers. Siraj took a total of nine wickets in the three matches of the series as he bowled with an average of 10.22 and an economy rate of 4.06.

Siraj’s form was a big positive for India from the Sri Lanka series and the fast bowler will look to continue the good show in the series against New Zealand.

“He is a very important player for us. He has improved his line and length a lot in the last two years. Now we are getting to see his outswing. He was not known for his swing but he did that against Sri Lanka. That is very good for the team if he can do that with the new ball consistently,” Rohit said on the eve of the 1st ODI against New Zealand.

Rohit added that the management needs to manage Siraj’s workload in order to keep him fresh for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series against Australia.

“He understands his bowling a lot better now which is a big thing in my view. He also knows what the team wants from him. All in all, he has become a very good bowler for us. He can take wickets in all phases and we need bowlers like him. We need to manage him and keep him fresh for the World Cup as well upcoming Tests against Australia,” Rohit said.

Siraj has scalped 33 wickets in 19 ODI matches at an average of 22.21 and he has done a fabulous job in the 50-overs version. The first ODI between India and New Zealand will take place in Hyderabad on Wednesday.