Boria Majumdar
If you ever feel down, Mohammed Siraj is the perfect therapy. Yes, he is a very good bowler and a match-winner. But more importantly, he is a fine human being who has his heart in the right place. There are some things that are recorded, and some that are not. In the 30-minute chat that we had, which was aired yesterday, Siraj spoke his heart out. But let me say that the parts which weren’t recorded were as touching.
At the very start of the interview, I asked him how things were and how his restaurant was coming along. And instantly, he invited Trisha – who was handling the production at the back end – and I, saying, “Jab bhi Hyderabad aayega, toh zarorr aana [Whenever you’re in Hyderabad, do come]”. Thereafter, he went on to say, “Things are very good. I never imagined I’d get this kind of love and affection from people. Wherever I go, people come up to me and say they are proud of me. I feel blessed and humbled. Aur aap kya hi mang sakhte ho [What more can you ask for]?”
Sample this. “You know, bhai, I make it a point to spend time with friends,” he said. “These are the people I have grown up with. They know who I am. Just because I am an Indian cricketer and I have made some money doesn’t mean I will forget who I am, and forget my roots. They are the ones who stayed with me when I was growing up. And I will always stay with them when I come back to Hyderabad. That’s why I go and sit with them, and have tea and spend time. No one should ever feel Siraj has changed. I am conscious people might think so, and that’s why I make an added effort to always make them comfortable.”
His life may have changed after the England tour, but Siraj hasn’t, and that’s the best part. Take my interview, for instance. We had planned it for a week, and on Sunday, he called in the evening to say we could record it on Monday at noon. I had made the request, and left it to him. On Monday, he messaged around 10am saying he had to go for an urgent meeting at noon, and we would have to reschedule. Thereafter, he asked if I was agreeable to doing the interview at 10:30am for he wanted to keep his promise before he left for the meeting. I agreed. These gestures stay with you.
“I hope you will frame the Oval match jersey in your museum,” he said before we ended the conversation. Make no mistake, I will. It is not just a jersey. It is a part of India’s cricket history, and a constant reminder that good things do happen to good people. And that good guys can come first. Yes, there will be adversity and there will be challenges. Getting bowled by Shoaib Bashir [at Lord’s] and dropping Harry Brook [at The Oval] stand testament to that. But then, there will also be the opportunity to bowl the yorker to Gus Atkinson that is now part of history. That’s how life is, and Siraj has lived it all.
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