Mohammed Siraj, a 26-year-old Indian right-arm medium bowler, is known for his deadly toe-crushing yorkers. Siraj was born in Hyderabad on March 13, 1994, and his growth in Indian cricket has been impressive for a self-taught player.
Career
Domestic Career
Siraj is the son of an auto rickshaw driver, and owing to his family’s poor salary, he had a rough childhood. He never had a coach or attended a cricket academy. He was enamoured of cricket and used to play street cricket with a tennis ball, skipping lessons to do so.
Siraj went to the Charminar Cricket Club’s nets on a friend’s invitation in 2015 and wowed everyone. He took five wickets in one match, and his devotion paid off when he was called a probable for the state’s U-23 team.
He went on to play for the senior zonal team and keep working hard. Siraj made his first-class debut for Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy on November 15, 2015, but only played one game. Siraj only played one game in his first season in first-class football and had to wait for further chances. In the 2016 Ranji Trophy, he was outstanding as Hyderabad advanced to the quarterfinals. Siraj finished the 2016 Ranji Trophy as the top wicket-taker for Hyderabad and the third highest wicket-taker overall, with 41 wickets in nine matches at a remarkable average of 18.92.He was then chosen to play for the Rest of India side, and his positive performances secured him a spot in the India A squad for the July 2017 tour of South Africa. With 23 dismissals in seven matches in the 2017–18 Vijay Hazare Trophy, he was the top wicket-taker in February 2018. He was called to India A’s squad for the 2018–19 Deodhar Trophy in October 2018. He was called to India B’s squad for the 2019–20 Deodhar Trophy in October 2019. Siraj has 147 wickets at an average of 23.00 in 36 first-class matches. In 41 List A matches, he has taken 81 wickets at an average of 23.37. In T20 cricket, he has 79 wickets at an average of 22.54 and an economy of 8.44 in 58 matches.
IPL Career
He was signed by Indian Premier League team Sunrisers Hyderabad for a staggering Rs. 2.6 crore, which was 13 times his base price, thanks to his outstanding results in the Ranji Trophy. In the 2017 IPL, he appeared in six games and took ten wickets at an average of 21.2, with a best of 4/32. He’s a limited overs bowler with a misleading slower ball and a natural in-swinger. The Royal Challengers Bangalore think-tank saw ample promise in the youngster after he was released by SRH and purchased him for INR 2.20 crore at the IPL 2018 Player Auction.The season, he played 11 games and took 11 wickets. For him, the 2019 season was a bit of a letdown, and he’ll be looking to bounce back in 2020.
International Career
Siraj was included in India’s T20I squad to face New Zealand after putting in good performances in domestic cricket. In November 2017, he made his T20I debut against New Zealand, where he took his first T20I wicket of Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson. He finished with a score of 4-0-1-53. He has only played two more T20Is since then, taking two more wickets.
He was named in India’s ODI squad for the series against Australia in December 2018. On 15 January 2019, he made his One-Day International debut against Australia at the Adelaide Oval. He didn’t take a wicket in the match, but India won by 6 wickets thanks to a brilliant Virat Kohli century.
Background
Mohammad Siraj comes from a poor family; his father works as an auto-rickshaw driver in Hyderabad. He began his cricket career as a batsman before transitioning to bowler. His older brother was the one who encouraged him to pursue a career in cricket.