Mohammed Siraj is the No.1 ranked men’s ODI bowler in the world, and it’s been an incredible journey for a player who had played just one ODI until the start of 2022.
Siraj made his debut in the format in 2019 at the Adelaide Oval but did not have the best start, conceding 76 in his ten overs. Not only was he the most expensive bowler across both teams, he also went wicketless. Picked as a replacement for Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested after a stellar Test series, Siraj got an opportunity in the second ODI but failed to leave an impression.
He was at No.236 after his debut game but slipped out of the ODI charts soon after for not playing a game for a year. He reappeared again in February 2022, which turned out to be a breakthrough year for the pace bowler.
With a focus on the T20 World Cup scheduled for October 2022, India started resting their mainstays for the tournament in Australia. Bumrah, the leader of the fast bowling pack, played only five of the 24 ODIs that India played last year, initially missing out as he was rested and then because of an injury.
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This opened up the doors for Siraj, who emerged from the shadows after the 2020 IPL and has constantly been on the rise ever since.
Siraj breaks into the top 100
The first time Siraj entered the top 100 was seven games into his career, spread three years apart. He was not ranked at the start of 2022 due to not appearing in a match within the qualifying period (the last 12 months), but the Hyderabad quick made a massive jump after the home series against West Indies, picking up five wickets across three games.
When India toured West Indies later that year, Siraj climbed to No.97 after the second ODI, in which he did not pick up a wicket.
The quick has made steady progress since then, and never once slipped in the rankings in 2022. A three-wicket haul in the second ODI against South Africa at home last year helped him break into the top 50, indicating his consistency.
After his last game in 2022, Siraj was the 22nd-best bowler in the world, according to the ICC, with 24 wickets in 15 innings at an average of 23.50. Just five games into 2023, and he was ranked No.1 for the first time, after taking 15 wickets in five games, against Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
He has continued his form this year, staying within the top 10 since breaking into it, taking 29 scalps in 13 games at an average of 12.86 with an economy rate of 4.62
A poor start to the Asia Cup saw him slip down, out of the top five, but his 6-21 in the final helped him achieve the highs once again.
