HYDERABAD: From being a gully ‘Maidan’ cricketer of First Lancer, which is nestled on the edge of the posh Banjara Hills, to becoming the mainstay of the Indian cricket team, Mohammed Siraj’s career has seen phenomenal growth. With Jasprit Bumrah out with injuries and Mohammed Shami not being consistent, Siraj has grown out of the shadows in the last one year to become the go-to man for the Indian team. His ability to get the early breakthroughs for the team is a major reason for India’s domination.
In many ways Siraj is Destiny’s Child but he has had a couple of ‘farishtay’ to help him achieve his dream of playing for India. Though passionate about cricket, Siraj bowled with a proper cricket ball only in 2015. Till that time, he had played with a tennis ball. Given a break by Mohd Mahboob Ahmed of Charminar Cricket Club in the HCA league, Siraj, who didn’t even have a proper cricket shoes to play with, showed immense spunk to catch the attention of the cricket officials.
