Badly miss playing in the IPL, admits Mohammed Siraj

Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer Mohammed Siraj made his ODI debut for India last year in Australia, at the Adelaide Oval. Conceding 76 runs in his wicketless 10 overs, Siraj didn’t make an ODI appearance since but is hopeful of a return to the Indian team after his state team Hyderabad was relegated to Group C last season. Meanwhile, the Hyderabad pacer has also represented India in three T20Is, the last of which was in 2018. According to the 26-year-old, the IPL would’ve been the best platform for him to showcase his skills but now that the marquee T20 league has been postponed indefinitely, Siraj admitted to missing being a part of it.

“I badly miss the IPL. That would have been a platform to showcase my skills, take wickets and be in the reckoning for selection for the T20 World Cup which will, hopefully, be held in Australia this October,” Siraj was quoted as saying by the Sportstar.

However, Siraj, who had bagged 7 wickets in 9 games in the 2019 IPL season, believes that this break has been a “blessing in disguise” as he is getting ample time to spend with family after a couple of hectic seasons. He also insisted that there will be challenges in bowling after a considerable amount of break from bowling but the pacer is hopeful of coming back on track within a week or so of extra training. 

“Even though the lockdown is frustrating at times - because I can't move out of my place even for running - it is also a blessing in disguise as it has given us a long break after a couple of hectic seasons. More importantly, my parents are happy to see me home for so long,” he added.

“When you start bowling after such a long break, the biggest challenge will be finding the right bowling areas and the rhythm. But, I am sure I'll find it [right areas] in one week because I am willing to spend extra hours in training to recover lost time.”