'My uncle was shocked after my nine-wicket haul,' Mohammed Siraj reveals how he convinced his family to let him pursue cricket

Mohammed Siraj has seen reasonable success in recent times in both domestic and international circuits. Since making his debut for India in a T20I in 2017, Siraj was not so regular of the Indian set up before getting a regular stretch of matches, particularly in Test cricket, since India’s 2020/21 win in Australia.

Siraj, 27, is now a key asset for both India and his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In fact, he was retained by RCB ahead of the IPL auctions, held in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13.

In a recent discussion on The RCB Podcast, Siraj recently revealed a story from his earlier days about convincing his family to let his passion for cricket make profession.

“My mom and dad were arguing about me at home - about whether I should study or do a job. My mother's brother had a club team. My mom told him that I am very fond of cricket and that I don't study or do anything else and only like to play," Siraj recalled.

"So my uncle said, 'I have a club; come and play for it. We will see how it goes.' I agreed to come.

“In the first match I played, I picked nine wickets. My uncle was shocked. 'You play so well,' he told me. Then he told my parents, 'Don't make him study. Let him do what he wants to. I will back him.' It was then that I got five hundred rupees. I gave Rs 300 to my family and kept the remaining Rs 200 with myself," Siraj concluded.

IPL 2022, set to begin from March 26, will see 10 franchises in two different groups. RCB are pooled in Group B, along with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Punjab Kings (PBKS), and Gujarat Titans (GT).