Bengaluru, Feb 18: India pace bowler Mohammed Siraj has said that hardships were routine when he was in his formative years as a cricketer, adding that his father was an auto driver who could only afford to give him Rs 60 a day to go and train at the Uppal Stadium in Hyderabad.
“I only had struggles, my dad used to drive an auto; I only had a Platina (motorcycle). Dad used to give me 60 rupees for petrol. I would manage with that to reach Uppal Stadium, which was quite far from my house,” said Siraj.
“When I was selected for the IPL, all those struggles came to an end. Dad stopped driving the auto, mom stopped doing household work, we stopped living in rented accommodation; we bought a new house. I didn’t need anything else in life. All I needed was my parents to be happy in a house we own. IPL gave me fame; it taught me the ways to be in social circles from meeting and talking to so many people. I learned so much. It’s all because of IPL,” added Siraj.
Sharing an anecdote, Siraj recollected an incident when then-RCB skipper Virat Kohli had said that he would be unable to attend a dinner party hosted by the bowler at his residence because of a stiff back. But minutes later, Siraj saw Kohli get off his car and surprise him.
“I had invited everyone from RCB to my house for dinner. I went home straight from the hotel. When I called him (Virat) up, he said, ‘I have a stiff back miyan, I can’t come’. I told him to rest. What more could I say. But, when everyone came, I saw him get off the car. Everyone was there, PP (Parthiv Patel) Bhai, (Yuzvendra) Chahal Bhai. I just ran towards Bhaiya (Virat) and hugged him. It was the best surprise of my life. Because Bhaiya (Virat) had said he won’t come. It became news; Virat Kohli has come to Toli Chowki.”