In recent times, the Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj has reached to make a mark of himself at the international level and it has only been possible because of his consistent performances in the domestic circuit. Siraj comes from very humble backgrounds – his father drives an auto rickshaw while his mother earns a little something like a domestic helper. His elder brother though is a bright student, pursuing his studies in engineering.
Siraj had a dream of one day running up to bowl for India, but there were massive hurdles, the most obvious ones being financial. Moreover, he was often discouraged and even scolded by his mother. But in spite of all the obstacles, Siraj is now an Indian cricketer.
The right-arm fast bowler hit success the moment he bagged a T20 contract worth ₹2.6 crore during the IPL. He went on to make his India T20I debut against New Zealand in Rajkot the same year. Of late, he performed brilliantly for India ‘A’ in the four-day format and was tipped to make his India Test debut during the series against the Windies. However, he is yet to make a mark of himself in Tests and ODIs.
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Siraj’s miraculous rise has taken his family, especially his mother Shabana, 44, by surprise. Speaking to midday.com, she said, “I would scold him and instill fear in him — all to give up cricket. I wanted him to concentrate on academics. Padega toh kuch paise bhi kama lega [If he studies, he can earn some money as well]. There was always a financial crisis at home and I didn’t want Siraj to waste his time in cricket. We didn’t have anyone who played the game in our family. We were concerned about his future, but I can’t believe how well he has come up in his game.”
The youngster had to play his cricket in hiding as it was only his brother, who was aware of the location of the ground where he trained and played. Describing the same, Shabana said, “We would wake up in the morning and discover Siraj is missing at home. Irrespective of whether it was raining or the weather was oppressive, he would be playing cricket. Ek junoon hai [cricket is an obsession for him].”
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Many have gone on to achieve success despite the odds stacked up against them and Mohammed Siraj is one such individual. In retrospect, his mother now regrets having scolded him because he prioritized cricket over his academics.
His mother concluded, “I feel bad. I have apologised to him as well. I did not realise that you can live a successful life through cricket too. For us, it was just a game, not a means of life. But I am glad my son has made a career in sports. We cannot thank Allah enough for blessing my son with so much talent and skills. I am a fan of only one cricketer and that’s my son.”
