Former West Indies cricketer Ian Bishop shared his thoughts on Mohammed Shami’s recent performance, saying that since his five-wicket haul in the Champions Trophy against Bangladesh, he hasn’t been at his best. Bishop noted that Mohammed Siraj, especially after his impressive spell against Shami’s Sunrisers Hyderabad, is looking better right now.
Shami has managed to grab five wickets in his first five games with Hyderabad, with an economy rate of 9.29. In contrast, Siraj is currently the third-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2025, with nine wickets in just four matches. Bishop believes that Siraj has surpassed Shami in the team’s pace bowling lineup due to his recent form and age.
Bishop mentioned, “Since Shami got that five-wicket haul in the Champions Trophy, we haven’t seen that version of him again. He’s 34, going on 35. Two seasons ago, Siraj took ten wickets in the powerplay for RCB, but that dropped to five last year, so his powerplay bowling wasn’t as strong.
But he added, “Siraj looks better now. If he keeps bowling like this and uses the seam, it seems like he has moved ahead of Shami. If he maintains this form from the last two games, he might offer a bit more across different phases.
Siraj was named Player of the Match for his fantastic figures of 4/17, which held Hyderabad to just 152 runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Captain Shubman Gill contributed a solid fifty as Gujarat won the match by seven wickets, with Siraj striking early by dismissing openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma. In a twist of fate, Head (8) had a lucky start, edging one past the stumps for a four, but Siraj eventually got him out after a smart catch by Sai Sudharsan at mid-wicket.
Gujarat will face the Rajasthan Royals at home on April 9.