Young Hyderabad pacer Mohammed Siraj is the newest face in the Indian fast-bowling setup as he was included in the Test squad to take on West Indies. Such has been his rampant form, that at one point this season, he picked up 37 wickets at 14.21 in his 8 first-class innings.
Siraj revealed that it was MS Dhoni who spurred him on and made him work hard in order to earn the Test call.
“Batsmen ke footwork ko dhyaan se dekh aur fir line aur length change kario (Watch the batsman’s footwork closely and then change the line and length accordingly),” Siraj told Times of India, recalling the conversation with Dhoni, which he reckons changed his game forever.
“His pep talk has helped me take my game to another level,” he added.
He identifies the challenges ahead and believes that he will only look to carry the momentum forward and keep doing whatever has given him wickets in first-class cricket.
When he was in red-hot form and was picking wickets for fun, Siraj spoke about the influence of Rahul Dravid and Bharat Arun.
“I was selected for the Indian team in the T20s. And then I came directly to days cricket. Rahul [Dravid] sir told me to focus on line and length and after that I spoke to Bharat Arun (India’s bowling coach), asking him what I should do as I transitioned directly into red-ball cricket. He told me to focus on the same things I’ve always done and not to try anything new. So I kept at it,” Siraj said in September.
{{/usCountry}}“I was selected for the Indian team in the T20s. And then I came directly to days cricket. Rahul [Dravid] sir told me to focus on line and length and after that I spoke to Bharat Arun (India’s bowling coach), asking him what I should do as I transitioned directly into red-ball cricket. He told me to focus on the same things I’ve always done and not to try anything new. So I kept at it,” Siraj said in September.
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