Back in 2017, a boy from Hyderabad made headlines for bagging a multi-million deal from the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). A year later, he found himself in the Royal Challengers Bangalore camp, sharing the dressing room with the stalwarts like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. From playing tennis-ball cricket till the age of 19 to being a part of the RCB at 23, Mohammed Siraj had come a long way in his life. Since then, he not only transformed himself into the frontline bowler for the Bangalore-based franchise in the IPL but also cemented his place in Team India across formats.
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Siraj is currently enjoying a great run in the ongoing IPL 2023. In 11 games, he has picked up 15 wickets and is also the highest wicket-taker of the team this season. The right-arm quick recently featured in the latest episode of a popular YouTube show, called Breakfast with Champions, where he shared a strange incident from his initial playing days.
Speaking with host Gaurav Kapoor, Siraj recalled his Under-23 seection. Right before the tournament, he was down with dengue and was so serious that he had to be hospitalized.
“The Under-23 team was going to leave the next day. I was tensed and pacing up and down. My name was included but I got hospitalized. I got diagnosed with dengue. My blood cell count had fallen drastically. Agar admit nahi hota to main mar bhi sakta tha (I would have died if I wasn’t admitted), the blood cells were that low," Siraj said on the show.
He informed his coach about his condition but since he was a newbie on the side, nobody believed in him, assuming that he would be lying.
“Because I used to make excuses to escape practice. I couldn’t wake up so early. I told the coach, I’m at the hospital, down with dengue, can’t make it. Since I was a newcomer, nobody knew me and didn’t believe me. They thought I was lying. They said I’d be out of the team if I didn’t show up.
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“So, I woke my dad at 5-5:30 in the morning and said, ‘Let’s go for practice, otherwise, they’d throw me out of the team’. Dad asked, ‘Are you sure you’ll be able to bowl?’ I said, ‘I’ll do it’. Then he agreed and we left quietly," Siraj added.
Despite being unwell and weak, Siraj bowled full throttle in the nets and even batted and fielded while training. Later, when he went for the tests, he was taken aback as the results were absolutely normal.
“I went for the practice but had no energy. I was wondering what to do. I had to bowl. I started off slowly. At that time, I didn’t even feel that I had dengue. I bowled at my 100% throughout the practice. Even I batted and fielded as well. It was like a miracle. Then I went for a check-up and found nothing. I’ve no idea how it happened," Siraj said.
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