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Mohammed Siraj has expressed his love for red-ball cricket and representing India at the highest level.
Mohammed Siraj (AP)
Mohammed Siraj said red-ball cricket was his ‘life’ and representing India was his ‘biggest motivation’ on the sidelines of the 2025 Ranji Trophy match for Hyderabad against Vidarbha.
Siraj took a small break after the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, where he bowled the most overs for India — despite dealing with injuries — and took the second-highest wickets after Jasprit Bumrah. He couldn’t match Bumrah in consistency in the series and a lack of support from the rest of the bowling lineup increased his workload, affecting his impact and leading to criticism in media.
“Playing for Hyderabad after so many years felt very good. It was great playing with some of my friends,” Siraj told Sportstar. “Red-ball cricket is my life and I will do anything to play it. I have always said Test cricket is my everything. 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 supported the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s decision to make featuring in domestic cricket mandatory for international stars.
“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 said.
“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. 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 added.
Siraj picked up four wickets in the match and also hit a few good boundaries but Hyderabad lost by 58 runs.
Despite being India’s highest ODI wicket-taker since 2022, Siraj has been left out of the squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy and the three-match series against England. Unless there are any injury-enforced changes, he’ll be next seen in action in the IPL for his new team, Gujarat Titans.
