In recent times Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj has emerged as one of the most prominent faces of the Indian bowling attack. In overseas conditions, Siraj bowled brilliantly and proved to be a crucial part of the Indian bowling unit.
In the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, Siraj will be seen playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise. Ahead of the mega auction for the 15th edition of the IPL, Royal Challengers Bangalore had decided to rope in three cricketers and they were- Virat Kohli (Rs 15 crore), Glenn Maxwell (Rs 11 crore) and Mohammed Siraj (Rs 7 crore).
Siraj speaks
While talking about his experiences of playing with Virat Kohli, the Hyderabad-born pacer shared an interesting anecdote when the former RCB skipper had visited Siraj’s home. According to Siraj; “it was the best surprise” of his life.
“I had invited everyone from RCB to my house for dinner. I went home straight from the hotel. When I called him (Virat) up, he said ‘I have a stiff back miyan, I can’t come.’ I told him to rest. What more could I say,” Siraj spoke while speaking on the RCB podcast.
"But, when everyone came, I saw him get off the car. Everyone was there, PP (Parthiv Patel) Bhai, Chahal Bhai. I just ran towards Bhaiya (Virat) and hugged him. It was the best surprise of my life. Because Bhaiya (Virat) had said he won’t come. It became news, Virat Kohli has come to Toli Chowki,” the Hyderabad-born bowler added.
Siraj's life
Siraj’s career, just like various other players, has been full of struggles. While talking about his past and background Siraj expressed that what he needed was his “parents to be happy” in a house they own.
“I only had struggles, my dad used to drive an auto, I only had a Platina. Dad used to give me 60 rupees for Petrol. I would manage with that to reach Uppal Stadium, which was quite far from my house. When I was selected for the IPL, all those struggles came to an end. Dad stopped driving the auto, mom stopped doing household work, we stopped living in rented accommodation, we bought a new house.
“I didn’t need anything else in life. All I needed was my parents to be happy in a house we own. IPL gave me fame, it taught me the ways to be in social circles from meeting and talking to so many people. I learned so much. It’s all because of IPL,” the 27-year-old pacer recalled.