Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Mohammed Siraj revealed that he suffered from severe stomach pain ahead of his side's match in the Indian Premier League (IPL) against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Saturday but still played the match with the ICC T20 World Cup Tournament in his spirit and with the “power of the almighty”. Siraj played a crucial role in RCB's four-wicket win over GT in Bengaluru on Saturday. His spell of 2/29 played a crucial role in bundling GT for 148 runs, who were chased down by RCB with 38 balls to spare.
In a video from the IPL with teammate Yash Dayal, Siraj said, “I felt like I wouldn't be able to play the game today. I had massive pain in my stomach and also loose movements so I thought there was no chance of me would do that.” But I thought that since there is a T20 World Cup nearby (from June 1 in West Indies and USA), getting game time would 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 strength.”
In 10 matches of IPL 2024, Siraj has taken eight wickets at an average of 44.00, with the best bowling figures of 2/26.
The pacer also talked about his bond with star batsman Virat Kohli and how it helps his bowling. He said that good communication with a legend like Virat reduces the difficulty for the bowlers by half.
“Virat has known me for eight years now and he always gives useful advice on what to do in a given situation. He also asks me as a bowler what I think can be done and then also lets me implement my plans. When If you communicates well with such a legend of the game, half the difficulty as a bowler is immediately reduced,” he said.
Siraj praised Yash for his bowling with the new ball and said his performance will do a “world of good” to his confidence.
“Yash was also very good for Gujarat and he came here and continued to do well. He is bowling well with the new ball and it will be a huge boost to his confidence. When you perform in difficult situations, it gives you more confidence as a bowler” , he said.
In 10 matches of IPL 2024, Dayal has taken 10 wickets at an average of 33.80, with the best bowling figures of 2/21.
Dayal also said he carried the confidence he got from domestic cricket.
“I observed while fielding where they shot. So I put a field opposite that, I backed myself to execute my plans and they came out fine,” he concluded.
In the match, RCB opted to play first after winning the toss. GT was 3/19 at one point. Then a 61-run partnership between Shahrukh Khan (37 in 24 balls, with five fours and a six) and David Miller (30 in 20 balls, with two fours and two sixes) helped GT make a brief comeback.
RCB continued to take regular wickets and again reduced GT to 87/5. Then, a 44-run partnership between Rahul Tewatia (35 in 21 balls, with five fours and a six) and Rashid Khan (18 in 14 balls, with two fours and a six) took GT past the 100-run mark. RCB bundled GT for 147 runs in 19.3 overs.
Yash Dayal (2/21), Vijaykumar Vyshak (2/23) and Mohammed Siraj (2/29) were among the best bowlers for RCB. Cameron Green and Karn Sharma took a wicket each.
In the chase, RCB started brilliantly with Faf Du Plessis (64 in 23 balls, with 10 fours and three sixes) and Virat Kohli (42 in 27 balls, with two fours and four sixes) posting a 92-run stand. .
Then RCB lost their way due to a fantastic spell from Joshua Little (4/45) and Noor Ahmed (2/23). However, Dinesh Karthik (21*) and Swapnil Singh (15*) guided the team to a four-wicket win with 38 balls to spare.
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