"Australian crowd abusing made me mentally strong" - Mohammed Siraj
Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj has revealed that the alleged racial abuse hurled at him by a certain section of the crowd in Sydney made him mentally stronger, and motivated him to perform even better.
The 26-year-old was fielding on the boundary during day three of the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground when he heard racist chants and abuses.
Team India went on to file an official complaint to the match referee about the incident. However, similar slurs were hurled at Mohammed Siraj on day four as well, and he decided to inform the on-field umpires about it immediately.
In a press conference, Siraj revealed that the umpires had asked skipper Ajinkya Rahane whether he wanted to walk off with his team. Rahane refused, saying that the Indian team respected the game.
"Australian crowd started abusing me, it made me mentally strong. Not letting it hamper my performance was my prime concern. My job was to inform that I was being abused, I told the entire matter to captain Rahane. Umpires told us that you can walk off the field and leave the game but Ajju bhai (Ajinkya Rahane) told the umpire that we won't leave, we respect the game," Mohammed Siraj said.
I dedicated every wicket to my dad: Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Siraj also revealed that his unique celebration with teammate Mayank Agarwal after picking up every wicket was a tribute to his late father.
The fast bowler had lost his father when he was undergoing hard quarantine in Sydney, preparing for the Test series.
However, Siraj took a bold decision of staying back and representing his country, as he wanted to fulfill his father's wish of seeing him play Test cricket.
The Hyderabad speedster bagged 13 wickets in the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the most by an Indian bowler in the series.
Mohammed Siraj also became the first Indian player to pick up a five-wicket haul at the Gabba. His figures of 5-73 helped Team India restrict Australia to a manageable total.
"I dedicated every wicket to my dad, I celebrated with Mayank Agarwal after taking wickets in the second innings of the Gabba Test, I dedicated my every wicket to dad. Before the series started, I never thought I would take five wickets," Mohammed Siraj said.
Injuries to Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin meant that Mohammed Siraj, who was all of two Tests old, became the leader of an inexperienced Indian bowling attack in Brisbane.
Despite this, Siraj said that the entire team as well as support staff backed him to the fullest.
"Everyone trusted me, they backed me, they told me that I am the leading bowler, I had pressure on me, but I enjoy challenges and I was just looking to hit the right areas on the Gabba wicket," he further added.
Mohammed Siraj may not get regular opportunities in Team India's playing XI once their first-choice pacers get fully fit.
However, through his stellar performances, Siraj has proved that he is a reliable fast bowler and a future star for the Indian cricket team.