Mohammed Siraj says he won’t let his father drive an auto-rickshaw anymore | Cricket - Hindustan Times
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Mohammed Siraj says he won’t let his father drive an auto-rickshaw anymore

Press Trust of India, New Delhi | ByPress Trust of India
Oct 23, 2017 06:30 PM IST

Mohammed Siraj had made a promise to himself that his father Mohammed Ghaus would never drive an auto-rickshaw again after he was picked up by Indian Premier League (IPL) Sunrisers Hyderabad and he kept his promise.

The day Mohammed Siraj was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad at the IPL auction for a whopping Rs 2.6 crore, he had only one dream.

Mohammed Siraj promised his father he would never drive an auto-rickshaw again after he was picked up by Indian Premier League (IPL) side Sunrisers Hyderabad.(Sportzpics/IPL)
Mohammed Siraj promised his father he would never drive an auto-rickshaw again after he was picked up by Indian Premier League (IPL) side Sunrisers Hyderabad.(Sportzpics/IPL)

That was never to let his father Mohammed Ghaus drive auto rickshaw again and he kept his promise.

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Savouring his maiden call-up to the Indian team for the T20 series against New Zealand, one could gauge the sense of satisfaction in Mohammed Siraj’s voice.

“I feel proud that at 23, I am good enough to shoulder the responsibility of my family. The day I got an IPL contract, I told my father that I won’t let him work anymore.

Usi din se maine father ko bola ki aap abhi rest kaaro (that very day I told Dad that now you can rest). And yes, I have shifted with my family to a new house,” Siraj told PTI during an interaction today.

The 23-year-old right-arm pacer has been on the fringes with some decent performances for India A but he didn’t expect a call-up this early.

“I knew that some time in future I will get a call-up but did not expect it this soon. I can’t tell you how happy I am. When I told my parents, they were speechless. It’s a dream come true,” said an ecstatic Mohammed Siraj, who is gearing up for tomorrow’s Ranji Trophy game against Karnataka.

READ | Mohammad Siraj’s rags-to-riches story becomes bigger with Indian cricket team selection

While IPL got him recognition, Siraj feels that it’s his hardwork in the Ranji Trophy during the 2016-17 season for Hyderabad that has resulted in all the success that he has got.

“Whatever I am today is primarily because of Ranji Trophy performance. My 40-odd wickets last season gave me the confidence. There’s nothing like getting wickets in first- class cricket. I was picked for Rest of India after that and because of Ranji Trophy, I got the IPL deal. So 60 per cent credit for this call-up is performance in first-class cricket,” he said.

Mohammed Siraj said that Indian team bowling coach Bharath Arun’s tips when he was with Hyderabad last year proved to be of immense help.

“I can’t tell you how much I am indebted to Bharath Arun sir. He is a brilliant coach. Last year, he was with the Hyderabad team and for the first time, I got an insight to the kind of variations needed to survive at the highest level.

“He told me about the variations in slower deliveries, how to bowl a knuckle ball. All these things helped me when I played IPL,” the speedster said.

He also thanked Sunrisers teammate Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ashish Nehra for their encouragement during the cash-rich league.

“Bhuvi bhai encouraged me a lot during IPL. He would come up with lot of valuable suggestions on what areas to hit at the death, the lengths for particular batsmen,” Siraj said.

READ | Shreyas Iyer’s inclusion in Indian cricket team reward for domestic consistency

Playing for India A during the past few months including a trip to South Africa and matches against New Zealand A has helped him mature as a bowler.

However, India A coach Rahul Dravid told him that he did not need to try anything fancy and keep on doing what has worked for him till now.

“Dravid sir told me that I need not change anything in my bowling. His advice has been pretty simple. Do what has got you success till now. Hopefully, I can replicate my success at the highest level,” he concluded.

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