"Baap ke saath auto chalao"- Mohammed Siraj opens up on brutal trolling after poor bowling show

Mohammed Siraj recently picked seven wickets in India’s huge win over the West Indies in the first test in Ahmedabad.

Mohammed Siraj has cemented his place in the Indian test team as their leading pace bowler. Having made his India debut in 2017, Siraj rose to prominence thanks to an impressive performance in the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in Australia.

Siraj comes from a humble background, with his father being a rickshaw driver. His father passed away when he was on tour in Australia, and he opted not to return to India for the funeral due to COVID-19 restrictions.

He revealed that trolls on social media often bring up his father in their jibes whenever he bowls poorly in the Indian Premier League (IPL) or for India.

“The trolling was bad”—Mohammed Siraj on getting booed for poor bowling in IPL

Speaking to the Indian Express, Mohammed Siraj opened up about getting brutally criticized when things weren’t going his way a couple of years ago.

Siraj’s late father used to operate an auto rickshaw during his time, and some people exploited this as an occasion to disparage the seamer after his poor performances with the ball.

“The trolling was bad. When you perform, the fans and the world will be with you and say, ‘There is no bowler like Siraj.’ In the next game, if you don’t perform, they will say, ‘Arre, what sort of bowler is this? Go and ride the auto with your father.’ What’s the point of this? You are a hero in one match and a zero in another,” Siraj told the Indian Express.

Siraj believed that not paying too much attention to how people perceived him was one of the most important components in dealing with abuse and judgment.

“People change that quickly? I decided that I don’t need outside opinion and validation. What my teammates and family think of me is important—people who matter. I don’t care what others think,” he added.

Mohammed Siraj has risen as one of the best pacers for India, especially with Jasprit Bumrah’s workload management taking precedence.

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