'Mohammed Siraj should be given rest for a couple of reasons' - Brian Lara on struggling RCB bowler

West Indies legend Brian Lara suggests that Mohammed Siraj should take a break for a couple of matches after Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) suffered a seven-wicket defeat to Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL 2024. Siraj, one of India's premier pacers, has been struggling with his form since the start of the ongoing IPL. 

The 30-year-old has so far picked up just four wickets in RCB's six games and has conceded runs at a rate of 10.41 per over. Notably, he was one of the standout bowlers for RCB in the previous edition, where he picked up 19 wickets in 14 matches at an economy rate of 7.52. Given his prowess, Lara stated that Siraj has been a distinguished bowler for India and RCB but emphasized that he requires a break.

"He should be given rest for a couple of reasons. He should think about what has been happening in the team. He is the same Siraj that we have seen taking wickets with the new ball whether it's in Test cricket, one-day cricket or even this format in T20. He has been a champion bowler for Team India, and even for RCB he has done well. But I feel he's not doing what he is required to do, he requires rest, not only mentally but physically as well because he has been playing a lot of cricket," Lara told Star Sports.

Also read: Watch: Mohammed Siraj bows down to Jasprit Bumrah in heart warming gesture after MI's win over RCB

"He’s played 4 tests against England, before that whatever series India was playing he has already been a part of the team. And he bowls a lot of overs. He looks a bit tired physically and mentally. And with this kind of hammering, it's difficult for any bowler to wake up the next day and feel alright. I also went through these situations where I got hammered by different batters, you have to give yourself a bit of time to relax, think about your game, work hard in the nets, work on your game and come back stronger like we have seen Siraj and I'm sure he'll come back stronger," he added.

Pressure mount as RCB lose at Wankhede

The bowling lineup of RCB has been heavily criticised by cricket pundits. Recently, captain Faf du Plessis had told the batters that they needed to aim for 220 runs if they bat first. It is worth noting that, despite setting a formidable target of 197 runs in their last match against MI at Wankhede, the three-time finalists ended up on the losing side as the Hardik Pandya-led side, effortlessly chased down the target with 27 balls to spare.

Also read: IPL 2024: Top 10 Memes from MI vs RCB, Match 25

RCB are currently placed second from the bottom of the IPL 2024 points table, having suffered defeats in five of their six games. Their lone victory came against the Punjab Kings at home. Additionally, RCB are desperately in need of wins in order to keep their playoff hopes alive.