Mohammed Siraj, the son of an auto-rickshaw driver, who went on from playing in the streets of Hyderabad to represent the Indian cricket team at the biggest stage of all as one of their main pace bowlers. His late father, who was an auto-rickshaw driver, and his mother, a housewife, supported his aspirations despite the financial hardships. Growing up in a low-income neighborhood, Siraj's journey began in the dusty lanes of local cricket, where his raw pace and natural swing caught the eye of local scouts. Without access to formal training facilities or high-level coaching, Siraj honed his skills through sheer practice and dedication. His breakthrough came when he was selected to play for Hyderabad in domestic cricket, a platform that allowed him to showcase his talent on a larger stage.
Mohammed Siraj's career
Mohammed Siraj made his International debut in the year 2017 but surprisingly never even played with an actual cricket ball before 2015. Siraj witnessed one of the quickest rises to fame. One thing that separated Siraj from everyone was that when the cricketing world was turning too friendly, the pacer held on to his aggressive style that was usually seen in speedsters.
Siraj began playing club cricket at the age of 19. He only started bowling at 16 years of age and used to play with a Tennis ball. He took 9 wickets in the very first match that he played for his uncle's team in the Hyderabad Cricket Association.
How Siraj burst onto the scene?
Siraj made his first-class debut in 2015 for Hyderabad in the 2015–16 season of Ranji Trophy. He made his Twenty20 debut in 2016 during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament. He was also the highest wicket-taker for Hyderabad during the 2016–17 Ranji Trophy season. He picked up 41 wickets with an astonishing average of 18.92. He was also the leading wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2017–18 season. He grabbed 23 wickets in just seven matches. This led to his call-up in the India A's squad for the Deodhar Trophy in the 2018–19 season. Amidst this, SRH roped him in the squad during the 2017 season for an amount of 2.6 crores. He later joined RCB in the 2018 auction and has been the team's main player since that edition.
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Test Debut
Siraj made his Test debut in the second match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. His entry into the Test arena came amid challenging circumstances, with the Indian team reeling from injuries and the absence of several key players.
Despite being a newcomer, Siraj quickly became the leader of the pace attack. He picked up 5 wickets in his debut match, playing a crucial role in India's victory. In the fourth and final Test in Brisbane, a match that clinched the series for India, Siraj took his first five-wicket haul in an innings. He ended the series as India's highest wicket-taker, with 13 wickets in three matches, a remarkable feat for a debutant. He picked up his first fifer in the fourth Test of the series. Over the following years, Siraj has been a regular feature in the Indian Test squad, praised for his speed, accuracy, and ability to generate movement off the pitch. In a total of 27 Test matches, Siraj has taken 74 wickets riding on three five-wicket hauls.
ODI debut
Mohammed Siraj's ascent to the pinnacle of ODI cricket, culminating in reaching the world No. 1 bowler ranking, is a story of tenacity and consistent improvement. Since his ODI debut against Australia in January 2019, Siraj's journey has been marked by an evolution from a rookie pacer to a spearhead of India's bowling attack. Siraj’s introduction to ODI cricket was less than ideal. His debut in Adelaide saw him give away 76 runs without taking a wicket, highlighting the initial struggles he faced. The initial phase of his career was marred by inconsistency and the challenge of adapting his bowling to suit the demands of limited-overs cricket. Today, Siraj stands as a central figure in India’s ODI strategy, especially with global tournaments on the horizon. His journey from a struggling newcomer to the world’s top-ranked ODI bowler is inspiring for young cricketers worldwide. Looking ahead, Siraj is expected to be a key player for India in upcoming international fixtures, including the World Cup, where his skills will be pivotal in India's quest for glory. In a total of 41 matches Siraj has taken 68 wickets riding on a fifer. His best ODI performance came against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2023 final, where he notched an extraordinary bowling figures of 7-1-21-6 to help India bundle out Lankans on just 50 and clinch the title.
T20 career
Siraj has played 135 T20 matches but despite making his International debut in 2017, he has only appeared in 10 T20I matches. He has 158 T20 wickets but only 12 in T20Is. Siraj will be playing his first T20 World Cup. In the absence of Mohammed Shami, Siraj along with Jasprit Bumrah are the team's most experienced pacers and have lot of responsibility on their shoulders for leading the Indian attack in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 which is slated to start from June 2.
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