Mohammed Siraj – that name will be talked about a lot in the coming days ahead of the Cricket World Cup. There are plenty of reasons. In the final of the India-Sri Lanka Asia Cup 2023 in Colombo on Sunday, the 29-year-old right-arm pacer single-handedly broke the hosts’ resistance with a fiery spell. At the end of the game, Siraj’s numbers read: 7-1-21-6. It was only the fourth time that an Indian bowler had taken a six-wicket haul in ODIs. Thanks to Siraj’s bowling, India bowled out Sri Lanka by just 50 runs – the team’s second-lowest score in ODIs.
India chased down the targeted 51-run win with just 6.1 overs. Since India won with 263 balls to spare, this is India’s biggest ODI win for India. This is also the biggest win in an ODI tournament final in terms of balls remaining. And Mohammed Siraj was its main architect.
Here are 10 facts about Mohammed Siraj:
1. Born in 1994 in Hyderabad, Telangana, Mohammed Siraj had humble beginnings. His father was an autorickshaw driver, while his mother was a housewife. Mohammed Siraj has often acknowledged his father’s role in his cricketing journey.
2. Mohammed Siraj first got attention from the tennis ball cricket circle. His friends convinced him to train to become a professional cricketer. He joined the Charminar Cricket Club and played in the HCA League.
3. Mohammed Siraj made rapid progress. He made his first-class debut for Hyderabad on 15 November 2015, coached by Karthik Udupa in the 2015-2016 Ranji Trophy tournament. He made his T20 debut on 2 January 2016 in the 2015–16 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament. During the 2016–17 Ranji Trophy season, Siraj picked 41 wickets at an average of 18.92 – the highest that season for Hyderabad.
4. His big break came in February 2017, when he was picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad for that year’s Indian Premier League for a whopping Rs 2.6 crore. Next year he was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he currently plays.
5. In 2017, Siraj was named in the Indian T20I squad for their series against New Zealand. He made his debut for India against New Zealand on November 4, 2017, taking the wicket of Kane Williamson.
Siraj has played 21 Tests (59 wickets), 29 ODIs (53 wickets) and 8 T20Is (11 wickets) so far.
6. Siraj has a no. Ranked 1 in the past. On January 21, 2023, Siraj became number 1 ODI Bowler in the ICC rankings. Currently, he is ranked 9th in ODIs.
7. Mohammed Siraj Siraj is a great fan of Cristiano Ronaldo. His celebration after taking a wicket is similar to what Ronaldo does after scoring a goal.
8. With his 6/21 against Sri Lanka, the pacer became only the fourth bowler in ODI history to take four wickets in an over, and he equaled former Lankan pacer Chaminda Vaas as the fastest to take a five-wicket haul in one-dayers matches – in just 16 deliveries.
9. Siraj is the second bowler in the Asia Cup 50-over format to take a 6-wicket haul after Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis achieved the figure of 6/13 against India in 2008.
10. Mohammed Siraj, who is also known to his fans as ‘Miyan Magic’, won hearts at the R Premadasa Stadium after the Asia Cup final as he dedicated the ‘Player of the Final’ cash prize to the ground staff.
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