On February 21, 2017, sports news in Hyderabad was dominated by the selection of a local boy in the IPL auction for a whopping 2.6 crores for SRH. His name is Mohammad Siraj.
Siraj’s career has been a roller-coaster ride. Although he got selected in IPL 2017, he did not get many chances to prove himself. Later, in 2018, he was selected by RCB, and that’s where his real journey began. It was not an easy journey. Siraj’s journey was not one from up to down but from down to up.
There was a tough match between RCB and KKR in 2019 where Russell was on strike and Siraj had the ball. Russell smashed Siraj for some big hits, and that day Siraj’s over was also called off. People had their opinions on his bowling.
There is fire in everyone; during tough phases, people give their opinions to us. It's about how we take it—as water that kills the fire or as fuel that makes the fire explode. That day, Siraj took those opinions as a fuel. Time changed. In IPL 2020, The same RCB vs KKR match in Dubai, Siraj started bowling and took two wickets in his first over and created a record as the first bowler to bowl two maiden overs in an IPL match. He was player of the match that day. In the same year, it was again Russell with the bat and Siraj with the ball. This man kept it very tight, hitting six Yorkers to Russell and conceding only one run. Somehow, everyone felt the revenge was not complete; even Siraj wanted Russell’s wicket. Although He got him in IPL 2023 by bowling a good Yorker and knocking Russell out.
Siraj was selected for the Indian team in 2020 for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. They flew to Australia, and unfortunately, he received the news that his father had passed away. He was crying; everyone thought he would return to India. He didn’t. He informed his captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri that he would continue to play.
On December 26, 2020, he got his Test cap. He bowled very well in his debut match. Unfortunately, the Indian team had many injuries in that series, and the debut player Siraj had to lead the bowling attack. At Gabba, where Australia had not lost a Test match in 36 years, everyone's eyes were on the Indian bowling attack. How were they going to perform? This man made it very difficult for the Australian batsmen. He got a five-wicket haul in that match, the first five-wicket haul in his first series. He dedicated each wicket to his father; his celebration after every wicket said it all. Since then, his journey has only been upwards.
In 2021, during the India vs. England Test series, he got a fifer which helped India win that match at Lord’s. Although everyone remembers Virat Kohli's epic words in that match, ‘Next 60 overs they should feel hell out there,’ there was another great performance by Siraj against Sri Lanka. Yes, that match was not like an India vs. Sri Lanka match; it was Siraj vs. Sri Lanka. It was the Asia Cup final, and Siraj played as if it was a gully match, taking six wickets that day and achieving bowling figures of 6/21 in an ODI match, making everyone turn off their TVs earlier.
Epic wins can be achieved by epic players, and Siraj is one such epic player. Everyone knows the success he had, but they should also know the struggles he endured. It was not an easy magic; it is Miyan Magic.