Mohammed Siraj is one more prodigy of raw talents from Hyderabad a city that has produced some impeccable batting talents like Mohammad Azharuddin and VVS Laxman.
Being from a non-cricket background it was his elder brother (Mohammed Ismail) who pushed him into professional cricket. Siraj made his first-class debut for Hyderabad in the 2015-2016 Ranji Trophy and having played 15 games he has scalped 57 wickets with his best figures being 5 for 52.
His fortunes changed when he was picked in the IPL 2017 edition by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for a whopping amount of 2.6 Crores and he produced some great bowling spells for his side.
Later that year, he got his national cap in the second T20 International against the visiting New Zealand side at the expense of Ashish Nehra who retired after the first T20I of the series.
Siraj has been retained by RCB for Rs. 2.6 Crores ahead of IPL 2021 Auction.
Mohammed Siraj – Short Biography
| Full Name | Mohammed Siraj |
| Nick Name | N/A |
| Date of Birth | March 13, 1994 |
| Birth Place | Hyderabad, India |
| Zodiac Sign | Pisces |
| Religion | Muslim |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Education | School – Safa Junior College, Nampally, Hyderabad |
| College – N/A | |
| Education – 12th standard | |
| Family | Father – Mohammed Ghouse |
| Mother – Shabana Begum | |
| Brother – Mohammed Ismail | |
| Profession | Cricketer |
| Role | Bowler |
| Batting Style | Right-hand batsman |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Teams Played | India, Hyderabad (India), India A, India B, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad. |
| First Class Debut | Hyderabad vs Services at Feroz Shah Kotla on 15 November 2015 |
| T-20 Debut | 2 January 2016 in 2015–16 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament |
| IPL Debut | SRH vs Delhi Capitals at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Apr 19, 2017 |
| International Debut | T20I – 4 November 2017 vs New Zealand at Rajkot |
| ODI – 15 January 2019 vs Australia at Adelaide Oval | |
| Test- 26 December 2020 vs Australia at Melbourne Cricket | |
| Salary/ Income(as of 2021) | IPL Salary – ₹2.6 crores |
| Net Worth | ₹36 crores (US$5 million) as of late 2020 |
| Favourite Cricketers | Bowlers – Dale Steyn, Mitchell Starc |
Career
- Siraj made his first-class debut on 15 November 2015 under the coaching of Karthik Udupa playing for Hyderabad in the 2015–16 Ranji Trophy tournament.
- He made his Twenty20 debut on 2 January 2016 in the 2015–16 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament. He was the highest wicket-taker for Hyderabad with 41 wickets at an average of 18.92 in the season.
- Siraj’s impressive performances in the 2015-16 Ranji season helped him to a spot in the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad for the 2017 edition of IPL.
- In February 2017, he was bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad team for the 2017 Indian Premier League for 2.6 crores.
- In October 2017, he was named in India’s T20I squad for their series against New Zealand.
- He made his T20I debut for India against New Zealand on 4 November 2017, taking the wicket of Kane Williamson, finishing with figures of 1 wicket for 53 runs from four overs.
- In January 2018, he was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2018 IPL auction.
- In February 2018, he was named in India’s T20I squad for the 2018 Nidahas Trophy.
- In September 2018, he was named in India’s Test squad for their series against the West Indies, but he did not play.
- In October 2018, he was named in India A’s squad for the 2018–19 Deodhar Trophy.
- In December 2018, he was named in India’s ODI squad for their series against Australia.
- He made his ODI debut against Australia at the Adelaide Oval on 15 January 2019.
- In October 2019, he was named in India B’s squad for the 2019–20 Deodhar Trophy.
- On 26 October 2020, Siraj was named in India’s Test squad for their series against Australia.
- After some deliberation to choose between Navdeep Saini and Siraj following an injury to Mohammed Shami, Siraj was chosen ahead of Saini, and he made his Test debut for India on 26 December 2020, against Australia.
- On 21 October 2020, he became the first bowler in the history of the IPL to bowl two maiden overs in a single match.
- In January 2021, during the fourth Test of the series against Australia, Siraj took his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket.
Lesser-Known facts of Mohammed Siraj
- Mohammed Siraj’s family isn’t financially well-off; his father drives an auto-rickshaw in Hyderabad.
- He started playing cricket as a batsman but later developed into a bowler.
- Siraj’s first income as a cricketer was INR 500. He had played a club match under the captaincy of his uncle. He bagged 9 wickets in the 25 over fixture. Impressed with his performance, his uncle rewarded him with INR 500.
- It was his elder brother who pushed him into professional cricket.
- He initially joined the Charminar Cricket Club in Hyderabad.
- 2015-16 Ranji season proved to be a big milestone in Siraj’s career. He ended the season with 41 wickets in just 9 games, thus paving the way for his selection into the ‘Rest of India’ squad for the Irani Cup.
- Siraj earned a sum of INR 10 Lakhs for representing Hyderabad in two consecutive seasons of the Ranji Trophy. With this amount, he wishes to buy a new home for his parents.
- In the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy, Mohammed Siraj finished as the highest wicket-taker for Hyderabad with 41 wickets to his name at an average of 18.92.
- Interestingly, as a child, Siraj started off as a batsman. However, one day, while playing gully cricket, his friends told him that his bowling was way better than his batting skills. To this date, Siraj credits his friends for his success.
- Siraj was signed by the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for a whopping INR 2.6 Crores for the 2017 edition of IPL.
- On 4 November 2017, when he made his international debut for India in place of Ashish Nehra in the second T20I match against New Zealand in Rajkot, he got very emotional and cried during the Indian national anthem.
Mohammed Siraj In Tears While Singing Indian National Anthem #AUSvIND #mohammadsiraj #TeamIndia #IndianCricketTeam pic.twitter.com/xgJihOsI8k pic.twitter.com/MMozz09VPA
— iamfarhanqkhan007 (@iamfrhanqkhan21) January 7, 2021
- His first Test wicket was Marnus Labuschagne.
Controversies
- On 10 January 2021 during the third Test between India and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, a group of Australian spectators, in a series of racist slurs, called Mohammed Siraj a “Brown Dog” and “Big Monkey.” Later the Indian pacer approached the on-field umpire pointing towards the stands, and the action was paused as police ejected six fans from the stands.
Mohammed Siraj Bowling Stats
| M | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | BF | SR | 100 | 200 | 50 | 4s | 6s | |
| Test | 5 | 6 | 2 | 39 | 16 | 9.75 | 48 | 81.25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| ODI | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| T20I | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| IPL | 35 | 11 | 7 | 46 | 14 | 11.5 | 50 | 92 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
Mohammed Siraj Bowling Stats
| M | Inn | B | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Econ | Avg | SR | 5W | 10W | |
| Test | 5 | 10 | 962 | 452 | 16 | 5/73 | 6/150 | 2.82 | 28.25 | 60.12 | 1 | 0 |
| ODI | 1 | 1 | 60 | 76 | 0 | 0/76 | 0/76 | 7.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T20I | 3 | 3 | 72 | 148 | 3 | 1/45 | 1/45 | 12.33 | 49.33 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| IPL | 35 | 35 | 716 | 1084 | 39 | 4/32 | 4/32 | 9.08 | 27.79 | 18.36 | 0 | 0 |
