"I had immense pain in my stomach and also loose motions" - Mohammed Siraj on playing through pain during RCB vs GT IPL 2024 match
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Mohammed Siraj has revealed that he was suffering from stomach ache and loose motions ahead of the IPL 2024 match against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Bengaluru on Saturday, May 4.
However, Siraj was determined to get more overs under his belt, especially with the T20 World Cup just around the corner.
Speaking in a video on IPL's official website, here's what Mohammed Siraj had to say about his health:
"I felt I won't be able to play the game today. I had immense pain in my stomach and also loose motions so I thought there was no chance I would be playing. But I thought that since there's a (T20) World Cup around, getting game time will be very important and good for me. I didn't have the energy to bowl with this intensity but maybe the almighty gave me the power."
Siraj also shed light on his bond with Virat Kohli and how it has helped his bowling.
"Virat has known me for eight years now and he always gives handy advice on what to do in a particular situation,” he said. “He also asks me as a bowler what I am thinking can be done and accordingly let's me execute my plans as well. When you have good communication with such a legend of the game then half the difficulty gets reduced straightaway as a bowler."
Siraj was brilliant with the new ball and set the tone for RCB with fine figures of 2/29. He sent back both the GT openers Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill early.
Mohammed Siraj hails Yash Dayal for his performance
Yash Dayal was the pick of the bowlers for RCB with figures of 2/21 against his former franchise. He worked well alongside Mohammed Siraj as the duo didn't allow Gujarat any momentum in the powerplay.
Here's what Mohammed Siraj had to say about Dayal's performance:
"Yash was very good for Gujarat as well and he has come here and continued to do well. He bowls well with the new ball and it will do his confidence a world of good. When you perform in tough situations, it gives you more confidence as a bowler."
Yash Dayal opened up on his plans to the GT batters, saying:
"Just carried the confidence I had from domestic cricket. I was observing while fielding that where they were hitting their shots. So setting a field against that, I just backed myself to execute my plans and they came off well."
Dayal also said that the mood in the RCB camp was always upbeat even when they were struggling to win. Faf du Plessis and Co. have won three games on the bounce and are still in the race to the playoffs after a win that massively boosted their net run rate.