‘Worked on my fitness, game’

GT’s Mohd Siraj (right) celebrates the wicket of SRH’s Simarjeet Singh with teammate Prasidh Krishna in Hyderabad on Sunday. Pic/AFP

It was a special feeling for a pumped up Mohammed Siraj to bowl in front of his family and the local crowd. That was enough to lift his spirits. The full house at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium witnessed a wonderful exhibition of fast bowling that blew away Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday.

In fact, a majority of the crowd would have not known whether they should support the home team or the local boy, who was representing Gujarat Titans. There was a hushed silence whenever a SRH wicket fell, but at the same time, there was huge applause for Siraj, who bowled with vengeance to devour the feared SRH batting and conquer the hearts of the people. Attacking the stumps, Siraj was brilliant in his execution.

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"When you execute what you are trying to deliver, you stay at the top. When you move the ball both in and out and it works instinctively, it gives you a different feeling," Siraj said after the win.

Ever since he was ignored for the ICC Champions Trophy, Siraj has been a man on a mission. "I have worked hard on my bowling and also on my mindset. It's working really well for me. At one time, I was not able to digest it, but I kept my spirits up and worked on my fitness and game. I worked on my mistakes and I'm enjoying my bowling currently. As a professional, when you are consistently with the Indian team, a doubt grows in your mind [when dropped], but I cheered myself up and was looking forward to the IPL,'' he added.

For Siraj, apart from not being selected for the Champions Trophy, he was also hurt at not being retained by Royal Challengers Bengaluru. "I played for RCB for seven years," he pointed out. But what's interesting is that he has nicely worked his way to the top through good sessions with GT coach Ashish Nehra. Fast bowler Prasidh Krishna believes that all the effort that Siraj has put in since January or February, has worked well for him. "He is releasing the ball well and he's feeling confident,'' Krishna said.

Bowling for GT, Siraj did not get good returns in the first match against Punjab Kings, but after that, in three matches he has been phenomenal, taking nine wickets, including his 4-17 against SRH on Sunday.

GT skipper Shubman Gill said the energy Siraj brings during bowling and fielding is infectious. SRH coach Daniel Vettori opined that Siraj was exceptional. "He bowled incredibly well. He obviously summed up the conditions perfectly, understood that he had to hit the stumps the whole time. Rarely was he too short and attacked us relentlessly. I think he did a fantastic job. Any time you take four for 17, it puts your team on the front foot,'' admitted Vettori, whose team continue to remain at the bottom of the table.

Playing on black soil that is slow in nature, former New Zealand spinner Vettori praised Siraj for correctly assessing the conditions. "Obviously, his execution was exceptional.''

Surely, Siraj is on the right track for a comeback into the Indian team for the England tour.