Indian cricket player Mohammed Siraj, who has been an essential part of India's pace attack, opened up about his emotional struggles during India's tour of Australia in 2020-2021. Siraj spoke on the RCB podcast and discussed the difficulties he faced when he lost his father during the tour. Siraj said he used to cry alone in his room and recalled how the former India fielding coach R Sridhar used to call him and check up on him often.
Siraj also spoke about the racism incident he faced in Australia. He revealed that he was called a "black monkey" during the third test at Sydney, and he reported the matter to the umpires. Siraj conveyed the incident to Ajinkya Rahane, who went to the umpires, and the team decided to get the abusers evicted from the stands.
Siraj also shared the moment when head coach Ravi Shastri encouraged him after the demise of his father. Shastri told him that he had his father's blessings and would take a five-wicket haul, which eventually happened at Brisbane. Siraj said his father always wanted to see his son's success and expressed how he wished his father was around to witness his success.
Siraj also talked about leading the pace attack during the tour of Australia when all the main bowlers were injured, and he had to take on more responsibility. Siraj said he enjoyed bowling the most during this time, and the unity among the young players helped them in the final match. Siraj recalled another significant moment in his career when he took a match-haul of 8 wickets, leading India to a 151-run win over England at Lord's in 2021. Siraj attributed his success to Virat Kohli's aggressive mindset, which motivated the team to perform their best.