Meet Mohammed Siraj, Hyderabad auto driver's son, bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 2.6 crore in IPL auction
Feb 21, 2017, 12:46 IST
Mohammed Siraj, might be from a lower middle class family but his dreams are big. He landed a Rs 2.6 crore deal with Sunrisers Hyderabad during IPL 2017 auction and now he wants to build a house for his family in Hyderabad.
Meet Siraj, son of a Hyderabad-based auto driver, who made crores during the auction as he attracted eyeballs for his innings in India A and Rest of India call-ups.
"Since I started from tennis ball cricket, I am self taught. I had pace but tennis ball cricket teaches you to bowl in blockholes. Then I played Hyderabad U22, Mushtaq Ali, Vijay Hazare and then Ranji Trophy followed by India A. I have taken one step at a time. Next is IPL followed by senior national team," said Siraj.
While interacting with PTI, Siraj spoke about the first salary he got while playing cricket.
"Today, I remember my first income playing cricket. It was a club match and my maternal uncle was the captain of the team. I got 9 wickets for 20 odd runs in that 25 over game. My uncle was so happy he gave me Rs 500 as a prize. It was a great feeling. But today when the bid was raised to Rs 2.6 crore, I just went numb," he said.
Siraj said he is forever indebted to his parents. He said that his father has been a major reason behind his success who never let financial issues get in the way of his son’s dreams.
"He drove auto all these years but never let financial pressure of the family affect me or my elder brother. A bowling spikes costs a lot and he would just get the best for me. I want to buy a house for them now in a good locality," Siraj said.
He also shared that he is very excited about sharing the dressing room with VVS Laxman as mentor and captained by David Warner is a big plus.
"As a youngster, I would like to learn everything I can. Laxman sir is there and I would get a chance to interact with a player of David Warner's stature," concluded Siraj excusing himself to speak to media who had made a beeline for his interviews.
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Meet Siraj, son of a Hyderabad-based auto driver, who made crores during the auction as he attracted eyeballs for his innings in India A and Rest of India call-ups.
"Since I started from tennis ball cricket, I am self taught. I had pace but tennis ball cricket teaches you to bowl in blockholes. Then I played Hyderabad U22, Mushtaq Ali, Vijay Hazare and then Ranji Trophy followed by India A. I have taken one step at a time. Next is IPL followed by senior national team," said Siraj.
While interacting with PTI, Siraj spoke about the first salary he got while playing cricket.
"Today, I remember my first income playing cricket. It was a club match and my maternal uncle was the captain of the team. I got 9 wickets for 20 odd runs in that 25 over game. My uncle was so happy he gave me Rs 500 as a prize. It was a great feeling. But today when the bid was raised to Rs 2.6 crore, I just went numb," he said.
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"He drove auto all these years but never let financial pressure of the family affect me or my elder brother. A bowling spikes costs a lot and he would just get the best for me. I want to buy a house for them now in a good locality," Siraj said.
He also shared that he is very excited about sharing the dressing room with VVS Laxman as mentor and captained by David Warner is a big plus.
"As a youngster, I would like to learn everything I can. Laxman sir is there and I would get a chance to interact with a player of David Warner's stature," concluded Siraj excusing himself to speak to media who had made a beeline for his interviews.