Indian cricketer Mohammed Siraj, in the recently concluded Anderson Tendulkar trophy, ended up as the highest wicket-taker with 23 wickets from five games. Not only has he been able to play all the games, but also kept his pace high through the five Tests and was able to come back and pick up crucial wickets spell after spell. Another Indian cricketer, Navdeep Saini, who has played alongside Siraj, mentioned the standout feature of Hyderabadi.
“We have played together for many years, right from India A. One thing I’ve always seen about him is that his belief is very high because he knows that no matter what the situation is, he will do it. When a person himself thinks that, he will surely do it because he has already manifested that,” Saini said in an interview with Sports Yaari.
“Woh jigre wala bowler hai (He is a bowler with courage). I have seen this in him right from our India A days that the effort he puts in his first ball, he bowls the last ball with the same intensity, until there is a result,” Saini added.
His Hyderabad teammate Akshath Reddy, speaking to this publication, sheds more light on his personality, traits that spreadsheets cannot quantify. “He is mentally tough. “He has the jaan laga denge attitude. Even if a couple of matches don’t go his way he won’t feel down. He will pick himself up,” he says. “He wants to give his 150 per cent. He is not worried about injuries he might sustain when trying hard. Whenever there is a setback he tries harder to give a comeback and this is his USP,” he adds.
Former England cricketer David Gower has been appreciative of Siraj’s work in the India vs England series. “I would love to know what he takes, what he eats and what he drinks because I want to give all that to England’s bowlers. For Siraj, one of the things that struck me was he has played all five Tests and was unstinting. Yet, he bowled more than 30 overs in that England second innings (Oval) because seamers had to bowl in those conditions. And he never gave up. He never stopped and never seemed to wilt,” Gower told The Free Press Journal.
