Mohammed Siraj, fresh from his standout performances in the England Test series, once again led India’s bowling charge in the opening Test against the West Indies on October 2. The pace spearhead returned with figures of 4/40 in 14 overs, underlining his growing reputation as one of India’s most reliable strike bowlers.
While his overall spell was impressive, it was the dismissals of Brandon King and West Indies captain Roston Chase that stole the spotlight. Both scalps came courtesy of Siraj’s now well-honed wobble-seam deliveries, a weapon that has added a new edge to his arsenal.
The dismissal of King showcased just how lethal the delivery can be. Pitched outside off, the ball tempted the batter into a leave. But it jagged back sharply and crashed into the middle stump, leaving King dumbfounded. Chase, meanwhile, was undone by the subtle variation of the same delivery. The ball pitched and straightened by just 0.7 degrees, brushing past his bat and carrying through to the wicketkeeper.
Explaining the dismissal at the end-of-day press conference, Siraj offered insight into his method. “The wobble-seam [ball] is like this, that it sometimes straightens and sometimes cuts [into the right-hand batter],” he said. “That ball kind of straightened towards the shiny side. I mostly look to move the wobble-seam [ball] in, but it kept straightening towards the shiny side, and took the edge, caught behind.”
The Hyderabad pacer’s mastery of the wobble seam hasn’t come overnight. It is the result of consistent practice and persistence through spells where the rewards often didn’t match the effort. Over the last five Tests, however, Siraj’s perseverance has paid off, with two five-wicket hauls and a pair of four-wicket returns to his name.
“When I realised that in-swing was not coming on naturally for me, I worked on out-swing and I also kept bowling with the wobble seam in practice,” Siraj explained. “It has helped me a lot in international cricket and it is a very important weapon for me. When out-swing doesn’t work for me, wobble seam does, and it gives me success.”
The timing of Siraj’s evolution as a bowler couldn’t be better. With three more home Tests coming up—one against the West Indies and two against South Africa—India will look to their fast-bowling leader to exploit subcontinental conditions. On tracks where traditional swing and seam movement can be limited, Siraj’s wobble seam offers a rare attacking edge that could tilt matches in India’s favour.
