'Smaller grounds and flat tracks making 250-plus totals normal': Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj rued the lack of help for bowlers in T20 cricket, saying smaller grounds and flat pitches are making 250-plus totals the new normal. In the ongoing IPL, the 250-run mark has been breached eight times as batters have employed an ultra-aggressive approach, making full use of the ‘ Impact Player ’ rule and flat surfaces.

“See, nowadays cricket is really different, now 250-260 is made in every second match, earlier 250 was a rare thing,” said Siraj after Royal Challengers Bengaluru overhauled the 201-run target set by Gujarat Titans in 16 overs.

“There is no help for bowlers, there is smaller grounds and flat wickets, there is no swing in the ball, so lots of changes. Bowlers can just keep playing and keep getting hit.”

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Things have been tough for bowlers this IPL as teams have looked to go for big hits even after the powerplay overs.

“As a bowler, you have to keep the self-belief. I have seen lots of ups and downs in life, so I don’t give up if 1-2 matches don’t go my way. I look for a comeback,” Siraj said.

“After one month, there is the World Cup… so I tell myself that if I get hit on a good ball, it is fine but I need to keep bowling less bad balls. I have not really bowled too badly this IPL, now 40 runs (in quota of four overs) is normal in T20 cricket.”

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Siraj, who has taken six wickets in nine IPL games this season, said luck plays a big role in T20s but he tries to keep his mindset steady.

“T20 is all about luck, you don’t get wicket in good balls and sometimes even a full toss gets you a wicket. so luck matters a lot. I keep working on my flaws during training.

“My mindset is always like I am the best bowler, when I go to the field, my attitude and mindset remains the same and it helps in my execution.”

‘Winning all games is the only possibility to qualify’

Gujarat Titans suffered their third defeat in last four matches but Sai Sudharsan remained optimistic and focused on winning the games ahead to keep IPL playoff hopes alive.

“I don’t think many things are going wrong. As a team we are doing well, definitely. It’s just the result. If we had won this game, maybe many things would have been good. Getting better and just showing up (for) the next game is what is very important,” said Sudharsan, who hit a 49-ball 84.

GT are seventh in the IPL standings with eight points.

“I think winning all the games is the only possibility which we can see. But I think taking it game by game, just getting better from this game. There were many positives this game as well. Thinking of qualifying is a little longer. So, just we have to play the way we want.”

The left-handed batter said the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium eased out with time which helped RCB chase down the target without much fuss.

“Like 10-15 overs after when we were batting, it got a little better because when we started to play, the wicket was q little damp but eventually it got better under the lights. It remained the same, obviously, during the RCB’s innings as well.”