Mohammed Siraj: Mohammed Siraj’s brother, Mohammed Ismail, has said that the pacer was heartbroken after being omitted from the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy squad. He added that the 31-year-old fast bowler became a different person and worked extremely hard, following a strict routine to improve his game.
The Hyderabad pacer was not favored for the tournament as India opted to go with Harshit Rana as the extra fast-bowling option. Siraj’s brother told The Times of India:
“Siraj is a different player now. After not being picked in the ICC Champions Trophy, Siraj was upset. Really upset. He was heartbroken. But he became a different person. He started practicing more and more. There was some hard training and a strict regime involved then.
“Now, the results are in front of us. That gap between the Champions Trophy and the IPL gave him a lot of time to train both mentally and physically. That period did him a lot of good. He then played the IPL and performed well, and now in England, he is the highest wicket-taker.”
Mohammed Siraj represented the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025, claiming 16 wickets in 15 matches. He backed that performance by taking 23 wickets in five Tests against England, helping the tourists level the five-Test series 2-2.
Mohammed Siraj’s brother speaks about the pacer’s admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo
Mohammed Siraj, on more occasions than one, has shown his admiration for football legend Cristiano Ronaldo. The 31-year-old performs the Al-Nassr forward’s iconic “SIUUU” celebration after taking a wicket.
He even displayed his mobile wallpaper, which had a photo of the Portugal international pointing his finger upwards. The pacer’s brother revealed that Siraj never missed a single match that featured Ronaldo and cheered for him while watching him play at home.
“He has big posters of Ronaldo in his room. We live in a penthouse, and he’s even built a mini-theatre there where he watches Ronaldo’s matches. He never misses a single one. All we hear is his cheering and shouting whenever Ronaldo is playing,” Ismail said.
Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said after India’s win in the Oval Test match that Mohammed Siraj was the Indian team’s Cristiano Ronaldo
