Mohammed Siraj has revealed the secret of his inner strength. The ace bowler has openly talked about how he maintains his sanity amid extreme praises and outrages.

“When you perform well, all the fans will stand with you. The whole world will support you. They’ll say ‘there’s no bowler like Siraj in this world’,” Siraj said while speaking to The Indian Express.

“But, if your next match goes bad, if something goes wrong, they’ll say, ‘What kind of bowler is this? Where did they find him? Send him to drive an auto! Do this, do that’. What’s the point then? You’re a hero in one match and zero in the next. People change so fast,” Siraj exclaimed.

“I’m sure of one thing now. I don’t need anyone’s opinion. Only what my family and my teammates think of me matters. Outsiders don’t know how much I struggle, how hard I work,” he said.

“Only those close to me can see that; how much effort I put into fitness, how much I work on my bowling, how mentally strong I stay under pressure. My family and teammates know it. What others think doesn’t really matter to me,” he added.

Mohammed Siraj became India’s hero in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He helped India draw the series 2-2 against England.

However, Siraj was severely trolled after his poor season for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL.

Siraj remembered what MS Dhoni told him when the Hyderabad bowler joined Team India.

“Kisi ki baaton mein nahin aana. Jab tu accha karega, to poori duniya tere saath rahegi. Jab tu kharaab karega, yahi duniya tujhe gaali degi. (Don’t be swayed by what others say. When you do well, the whole world will back you; when you mess up, that same world will tear you apart), Captain Cool told him.

Siraj against West Indies

Mohammed Siraj produced a superb bowling performance in both innings of India’s Test win against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium. In the first innings, Siraj took 4 wickets for 40 runs from 14 overs as the visitors were all out for just 162.

Siraj continued his strong form in the second innings, claiming 3 wickets for 31 runs in 11 overs. Siraj’s combined figures of 7 wickets in the match were crucial in India’s dominant victory. Team India won by an innings and 140 runs.

Ravindra Jadeja was named Player of the Match for his all-round brilliance (0/15 & 104* and 4/54).