'Was in quarantine when my father passed away': Mohammed Siraj recalls difficult times
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Siraj had a prolific debut as he troubled the Aussie batting lineup with his length and pace
Mohammed Siraj recalled the tough times when his father passed away days before making his Test debut for Team India during the Australia series.
He remembered the difficult times when none of his teammates could even come to his room to offer condolences as strict quarantine guidelines were in place.
"During Australia tour, I was in quarantine and when we came back from practice, I got to know my father passed away. Unfortunately, no one could come to my room," said Siraj in a video uploaded on Twitter by RCB on Thursday.
"I called home and my fiance, mother were very supportive and they told me that I need to fulfill my father's dream of seeing me play for India."
"Jasprit Bumrah used to stand beside me whenever I was bowling. He told me to stick to the basics and not do something extra. It's nice to learn from such an experienced player," Siraj said.
Siraj had a prolific debut as he troubled the Aussie batting lineup with his length and pace.
"I even played with Ishant Sharma, he has played 100 Tests. It felt good to share the dressing room with him. My dream is to be the highest wicket-taker for India and I will work hard whenever I get an opportunity."
"Last year, when I joined RCB, I was low on confidence. But when I started bowling with the new ball, I was also bowling on a single wicket, which helped me a lot," he said.
"And then the performance against KKR gave me a lot of confidence. The team culture here is so nice that everyone used to get together and discuss stuff like Virat does." Siraj said he will look to continue his aggressive bowling after getting a good feedback from RCB's batting consultant Sanjay Bangar.
"I was talking to Sanjay sir. He told me that my rhythm is good. I am meeting you after so long but you are putting in the same effort that you used to put for the Indian team. Your rhythm, aggression and confidence ... it is all looking nice, so continue that."
(With inputs from PTI)