Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 11 : Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj, who featured in the runners-up squad for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy, explained the reason behind his dipped pace during Test tour to Sri Lanka, saying that he is a "purely rhythm bowler" and his body is not meant to handle long breaks. 
During the series against Sri Lanka, Siraj took four wickets in four innings, and there was a dip in his pace. In the first innings of the Duleep Trophy final at Bengaluru, he was operating at a low pace of 125-130 mph during the first innings, where he went wicketless for 140 runs, before getting 1/47 in the next innings, where he hit the speeds close to 135 mph more often, extracting some movement off a benign Chepauk pitch and in the air as well. 
"I am purely a rhythm bowler," Siraj said after the match on Thursday as quoted by Cricinfo. "If I am not in sync, I can't explode through the crease. That was the struggle in Sri Lanka - my run-up felt disjointed. Some strides were too short, others were too long, and that broke my flow and cost me pace."
"Every bowler's body is different, but mine doesn't handle long breaks well. A short break is fine, but in my ten-year career, I had never taken two full months off. I was working out in the gym and bowling occasionally, but no amount of practice can replicate match intensity. It was a new experience, but a valuable learning curve for me going forward," he added. 
Before this, Siraj had got very little game time. In Indian colours, he had last featured in India's one-off Test against Afghanistan in June and missed the three ODIs after that. Siraj had featured in 17 IPL matches for Gujarat Titans, taking 19 wickets before the one-off Test and troubled batters with his ruthless powerplay bowling alongside South African Kagiso Rabada. Ahead of the Sri Lanka tour, he did feature in the warm-up game against Sri Lanka XI and played both Tests. 
After East Zone opted to bat first in the final, Siraj's first delivery zipped past opener Abhimanyu Easwaran's bat, but once the pitch got flat, he leaked runs, getting hit for 140 runs in 25 overs. Siraj said that the physical toll of playing in heat of Sri Lanka and later Chennai had been difficult. 
"We came straight from Sri Lanka, where we spent three-and-a-half days fielding in the second Test, and within a week, we were out here playing in Chennai's sweltering heat. But for me, it comes down to passion. When you are representing your country, you cannot make excuses. You have to give every bit of your effort for your team and nation. Even if I did not get the wickets to show for it today, that hard work will pay off at the international level," he said. 
Siraj had better control and pace in the second innings, even though the pitch did not offer much help. After troubling Abhimanyu's inside edge, Siraj managed to brush off his outside edge with a perfectly pitched delivery and also troubled a red-hot Ishan Kishan in an opening spell of six overs, two maidens, nine runs and a wicket. 
"In the first innings, the pitch looked fresh, so I tried to bowl too fast. Because I was forcing it, my rhythm was off," Siraj said. "In the second innings, I told myself to forget the outcome and just run in with good, natural rhythm. The moment I did that, the old Siraj was back, and the ball started coming out beautifully," he signed off. 
East Zone ended their 13-year wait for the Duleep Trophy title after their final against South Zone ended in a tame draw on the fifth and final day, with Kishan’s side clinching the trophy on the back of a commanding first-innings lead.
East Zone, who had piled up 708 in their first innings courtesy heroics of Ishan Kishan (270) and Kumar Kushagra (101) and South Zone folded for 336 in their first innings, In their second innings, East Zone eventually declared at 388 for seven in their second innings, ending the match in a draw and winning on basis of their gigantic first-innings lead.