Mohammed Siraj is the leading wicket-taker in India vs England Test series with 13 scalps, and has bowled a whopping 109 overs, which brings his workload management into question. India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate conceded that managing Siraj is on the team think tank's mind and that they are working hard to ensure the pacer is fresh to fire in Manchester. "First thing I'll say is it hasn't felt like a long tour. It's been exciting from day one, like you get up every morning and you can't wait for what the next day brings. Obviously these guys are working so hard, especially the guys who are new to the squad, so it's been a very refreshing tour in that sense. Let's first start with Siraj before we talk about Bumrah."
"I think we take for granted how lucky we are to have someone like that. I know he doesn't always have the returns that you expect from a fast bowler, but in terms of heart, he's like a lion and what he brings to this bowling attack, whenever he does have the ball in hand you always feel like something's going to happen."
"He's not someone who's going to shy away from workload, so it makes it even more important for us to manage his workload and make sure that he's at least fit to give his best. Again, we'll take a call on the combination we play, particularly given the Arshdeep situation as well, we'll make that call closer to Manchester," he elaborated.
England skipper Ben Stokes has been the second busiest bowler in the series after Siraj with 105 overs under his belt, and ten Doeschate believes his workload with the Indian bowling counterparts can't be compared.
"Look, that was super impressive for Ben to come out on their last day and bowl the amount of overs he did with the intensity he did, and obviously bats and fields as well. We're not yet there to compare our bowlers to individuals from other teams. We have our own strengths. We know what particularly Jasprit does in shorter spells, which he prefers bowling in."
"When the time's right, and what I alluded to earlier about Siraj, some bowlers are like that. You get the best out of them in their seventh, eighth and ninth overs, but not everyone has to be the same as that. We feel that in consultation with Jasprit, it is decided how we use him in, and which is the best way for the team."
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