It is all right to dream as long as one has the passion and dedication to pursue them and achieve them. Indian young speedster Mohammed Siraj, the son of an auto-rickshaw driver in Hyderabad had big dreams but scarce means to achieve them. However, did not dampen his spirit. Siraj learned the basics of the game by himself- by watching cricket and practicing with a tennis ball. Siraj first bowled with a proper cricket ball, not long ago in 2015. The same year Siraj made his dream Ranji debut and picked up 41 wickets in 9 matches.
Though Siraj was not trained, his raw talent, pace, and great accuracy were enough to make him the talk of the town in the domestic circuit. It was in IPL 2017 auctions that Siraj’s hard work got recognition. Although introduced in the auctions at a base price of 20 lakhs, after a bidding war the Sunrisers Hyderabad picked him up for a whopping Rs. 2.6 crores.
Siraj also earned a national call-up but has not been impressive in the 3 opportunities that he has received so far. Another impressive season in the IPL will help Siraj put away all the criticism after his poor performances for India in the T20Is. For a boy from as humble a background as his, there could be nothing more satisfying than wearing the national colors.
