"Opposition is the enemy for him"- Mohammed Siraj reveals things he learned from Virat Kohli

Mohammed Siraj also spoke about taking energy from the fans in the ground, something he learnt from Virat Kohli.

Mohammed Siraj is the premier pacer for India in the test format, as evident from his 23 wickets in the recent England series. Siraj, along with England’s Chris Woakes, were the only two pacers to play all five matches in the series for their respective sides.

Siraj has previously also played all five tests on the tour of Australia, which proved to be the final time Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were seen in India whites. Both the senior batters of the Indian team announced their retirement from the format in May this year, just before the England tests.

During his latest interview with RevSportz, Siraj was asked why he felt this way. He explained that he learned it from Virat Kohli, who taught him to treat opponents like friends off the field and foes on it.

“I’ve learned this one particular thing from Virat Kohli, and that is his fighting approach in the game. Off the field, he would be talking very nicely, but on the field, the opposition is the enemy for him. I like this thing about him. And my bowling comes from aggression,” Siraj told RevSportz.

“If I do not show that on the ground, I won’t be able to bowl well. I have been with Virat Kohli in RCB (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) and have had a good bonding with him. Fast bowlers should have aggression on the field, and Virat Kohli has more aggression on the field than bowlers,” Siraj added.

Mohammed Siraj made his India debut in 2017 under Virat Kohli and also played for a number of years under and with Kohli in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“I have also learned to take crowd support from Virat.”- Mohammed Siraj on hyping up the Indian team’s morale

Mohammed Siraj also talked about the instance; he used the crowd to boost the Indian team’s morale in the recent Oval test against England. Set 374 runs to win, England found themselves in a bind when Joe Root and Harry Brook hit sublime hundreds to bring England close to the win.

“In that last test at The Oval, when Brook and Root were having a good partnership, we had a bit of a shoulder-dropping moment. But then, I encouraged everyone, and we went ahead to get the upper hand in the form of the wicket of Root. I have also learned to take crowd support from Virat. Support of the crowd, for a bowler, can make a big difference and get the bowler flying with confidence,” Siraj added.

Siraj eventually won the game for India, taking a five-wicket haul, bowling out England for 367 runs, and winning the game by six runs.

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