Mohammed Siraj has been impressive with his bowling performances since last few months.
Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj says that he wants to be a permanent member of Team India for a long time.
The rise of Mohammed Siraj has been one of the biggest positive for Team India. In the absence of senior players, the pacer impressed everyone with his bowling performance in Australia down under as he was the leading wicket-taker for Ajinkya Rahane-led side with 13 wickets in 3 matches.
The 27-year old made decent contributions with the ball in the Test series against England at home and was a revelation with the ball in the IPL 2021, where he bagged 6 wickets in 7 and showed great discipline at the death.
VVS Laxman hails "very skillful" Mohammed Siraj ahead of England tour
Talking about his bowling Mohammed Siraj said that he’s more confident and mature now and asserted that everyone will see a new Siraj now.
“Yes, I am more confident and mature now. Worked a lot on my line and length besides trying to improve my all-around skills as a bowler. Old Siraj is a story of the past, you will see a new Siraj for sure,” Mohammed Siraj said.
Siraj said that it’s a great feeling for him to be a part of the Indian team. He added that he’s enjoying the competition and getting tips from the seniors have helped him a lot to learn about the art of pace bowling.
“It is a great feeling to be part of this Indian team which can beat the best on their home soil. Personally, I am enjoying the kind of competition I face for a slot in such a formidable outfit.
“The best part is that all the seniors are so good and open to giving invaluable tips. This is helping me learn a lot about the art of pace bowling,” he said.
Recalling the Australia tour, Siraj pointed out that that tour was the defining moment of his career and changed his attitude towards bowling. He also talked about the challenges players have to face when they come out of bio-bubble and play games.
“Obviously the last Australian tour was the defining moment of my career which resulted in a complete change in my attitude towards bowling.
“It is definitely a huge challenge to come out of a bio-bubble during a long quarantine and play the big games straight away. But again, we have to be ready for these kinds of things,” he said.
While talking about the ICC World Test Championship final, Siraj admitted that he’s not sure if he would feature in the playing XI or not but he’s determined to bowl well
“Honestly, I don’t know whether I will be there in the eleven or not for the WTC final, but I am determined to bowl as well as possible in the run-up to that big game,” he said.
“Mera career Virat bhaiya ke wajah se hai”, Mohammed Siraj grateful for Indian captain’s support
Mohammed Siraj further said that having Virat Kohli as an Indian captain is the biggest positive for him because he has played under him for four IPL seasons and he knows how to get the best from him. He further admitted that he wants to be a permanent member of the Indian team
“Yes, having Virat Bhai as India captain is a huge plus for me. Playing under him for four IPL seasons for RCB, he trusts me, understands my bowling and knows how to get the best out of me.
“I want to be a permanent member of the Indian team for a long, long time. I know what kind of struggle I had gone through after a bad 2019 IPL season to push myself back into contention,” he concluded.
Team India will lock horns in the WTC final against New Zealand, which will be played from June 18-22, with 23rd being a reserve day. After that the Virat Kohli-led side will engage in a five-match Test series against England, starting 4th August.
(NEWS 18 inputs)