The BCCI has made sweeping changes to the Indian cricket team's player regulations in the wake of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy debacle.
Cracking the whip against the players, the Indian board implemented a stringent 10-point guidelines, including making participation in domestic tournaments mandatory.
As a result, the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja among others turned up for their respective domestic sides in the last two rounds of Ranji Trophy.
Pacer Mohammed Siraj also featured in Hyderabad’s Ranji fixture against Vidarbha, which was played in Nagpur from January 30 to February 2. It was his first appearance in India’s premier domestic red-ball competition in almost five years.
“Playing for Hyderabad after so many years felt very good. It was great playing with some of my friends,” Siraj told Sportstar on the sidelines of the game.
“Red-ball cricket is my life and I will do anything to play it. I have always said Test cricket is my everything,” he further said.
“When I get the red ball in hand, I enjoy it a lot. I don’t think about my performance too. You can see I bowl long spells. That is because I love this format so much,” he added.
Siraj also endorsed BCCI’s directive for the Indian players to participate in domestic cricket. “When you are free or available as a player, you have to take time out to represent your State. The youngsters in the team will be motivated by your presence. They will get a boost too, sharing dressing rooms with Virat bhai and Rohit bhai. It is a good sign for the new generation,” he remarked.
Siraj’s performance wasn’t up to the mark during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25. There were suggestions for him to take a break, but he dismissed it.
“As a human being, of course, you need some rest from time to time. But when you have the ball in hand and you are representing your country, you just run in and bowl,” the fast bowler stated.
“Your biggest motivation is playing for the nation. This has been your dream since childhood, so when you get the opportunity, you will want to grab it. I just enjoy the fact that I’m realising my dream of playing for India,” he remarked.
Siraj was also effusive in praise of his Hyderabad teammates. “The [Hyderabad] players have a great attitude. They are willing to give their lives for the team. This is only their first season; they will improve a lot going forward, learning how to play according to the situation,” he said.
Siraj claimed four wickets in Hyderabad’s 58-run defeat against Vidarbha. However, the right-arm quick expressed his frustration over some umpiring decisions at the end of the game.
“The performances from both sides were good, but the umpires had a big role to play,” the 30-year-old suggested.
“I understand they are human and capable of making mistakes, but getting six or seven decisions wrong in a single match is not acceptable,” he said.