Mohammed Siraj vs Kapil Dev - comparing their bowling stats after 41 Tests

Team India were not considered a pace powerhouse for a long time. Mohammed Siraj is one of the earliest products of the new age pace factory, which is now producing seam bowlers on a regular basis, enough to build a pool of candidates, and create competition.

The case was not the same three or four decades ago. India did not have a distinguished pace bowling attack per se, and it was the spinners tasked with the bulk of the bowling. However, Kapil Dev stood out in that bowling unit, as the spearhead in overseas conditions, to make a significant impact. With his 434-wicket tally once being a world record, he finished as one of the best seamers India ever produced.

Incredibly skillful and armed with the ability to bowl long spells, Kapil Dev and Mohammed Siraj come across as the rare blend that every pace bowling attack desires.

On that note, let us take a look at Mohammed Siraj and Kapil Dev's bowling stats after 41 Tests.

#1 Overall Stats

In terms of the overall numbers, Kapil Dev has a massive lead of 34 wickets in the same number of matches, with a slightly better average and economy. The massive difference in the wickets tally might be largely due to the conditions across different eras, as well as the fact that Kapil Dev became the bowling spearhead of the Indian side quite early into his career.

Mohammed Siraj faced stiff competition from the word go, and was largely the third or even the fourth seamer when the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, and Mohammad Shami were operating. The right-arm pacer had to slowly work his way up, and now, with over four years of experience, he is a senior member of the bowling attack, and his numbers can only improve from here.

The difference in the economy rate also shows how the game and conditions have tilted towards the batters.

Player Name	Matches	Wickets	Average	Economy
Mohammed Siraj	41	123	31.62	3.59
Kapil Dev	41	157	29.43	3.04

#2 Home and Away Record

The subcontinent can be a difficult place for a seamer. Apart from the few overs of new ball swing, and reverse swing may or may not come to play according to the conditions, there is not much they can do to dominate proceedings.

However, pacers are viewed as an integral part of overseas assignments. Both Siraj and Kapil Dev played the first three Tests of their careers away from home. While the former has played the majority of his 41 Tests away from home, it is the complete opposite for the latter.

Kapil Dev's first set of years in Test cricket did not have many away tours, as compared to home Tests. But by the end of his career, he had played more matches away from home.

Siraj had struggled at times to find a place in the playing XI in home Tests in the spin-heavy bowling unit. However, since his debut, he has always been a no-brainer during tours. To term him as an away specialist does not do him justice, because he is capable across all conditions. But since his debut, no bowler has picked more wickets overseas.

Player Name	Matches	Wickets	Average	Economy
Mohammed Siraj	27	104	29.97	3.58
Kapil Dev	16	55	35.42	2.99

#3 Five-Wicket and Ten-Wicket Hauls

Mohammed Siraj has picked up four wickets in an innings seven times, but his five-wicket tally reads just five, less than half of what Kapil Dev amassed in the same timeframe, in terms of number of appearances.

The current Indian seamer is yet to bag a single ten-wicket haul in his Test career so far. He came close during the fifth Test against England at the Oval, where he claimed nine wickets. During the Lord's win in 2021, he had eight wickets, again agonisingly close to a ten-fer.

Kapil Dev, on the other hand, bagged five-wicket hauls on a regular basis, albeit waiting for 10 Tests for his maiden fifer. His lone ten-wicket haul across his first 41 appearances came during his stunning performance against Pakistan in 1980, where he picked up 11 wickets, including a seven-wicket haul in the second innings.