“His outswing isn’t like a Shami outswing” - Former RCB pacer’s blunt take on Mohammed Siraj after GT vs PBKS IPL 2025 match
Former Indian speedster Varun Aaron has offered a blunt take on Mohammed Siraj's performance in the Gujarat Titans' opening game of IPL 2025. Aaron believes the right-arm speedster's inswing is more lethal than his outswing, which is not as sharp as that of Mohammed Shami.
Having been released by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ahead of the auction, the Titans nabbed the pacer for ₹12.25 crore. However, the Hyderabad-born cricketer could barely create a wicket-taking opportunity during Tuesday's game against the Punjab Kings as he leaked 54 runs in four wicketless overs. He also conceded 23 in the final over.
Speaking on ESPN Cricinfo, Aaron analysed Siraj's bowling and stated:
"We actually did an analysis of this last year on Star Sports [...] he bowled 20% more outswing balls last year and he didn't have a good IPL, compared to the previous year, when he bowled more inswing. I agree Siraj is way better when he is bowling inswing, and the odd outswing, because his outswing isn't like a [Mohammed] Shami outswing, it doesn't leave people late."
The 31-year-old, who has also featured for the SunRisers Hyderabad, saw his best IPL season in 2023 when he took 19 scalps in 14 matches at 19.74. He also had a decent 2024 edition, snaring 15 wickets in 14 games, but the Royal Challengers didn't retain him.
"His decision-making towards the end was not the best" - Varun Aaron on Mohammed Siraj
At the same time, Aaron cautioned that it was only the first game of IPL 2025 and backed the star pacer to come back stronger in the next few matches. The 35-year-old added:
"It's his first game in this IPL. To pass judgment, you have to wait at least four to five games. Yes, Siraj has been a bit expensive in the beginning, but he can also win you games with the ball. Being under Ashish Nehra [GT head coach] now, this year could be one of the better years for him. He will learn from tonight, but his decision-making towards the end was not the best."
The Titans still lost only by 11 runs while chasing a daunting 244 as efforts of B Sai Sudharsan (74) and Jos Buttler (54) went in vain. The Titans will next face the Mumbai Indians on Saturday again at home.