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Mohammed Siraj: From 200 rupees for a match to winning a billion hearts
It’s hard to believe that the man who kept the Indian dream alive in the gruelling five-Test series against England once struggled to get a game even in club cricket
- PUBLISHED: Mon 4 Aug 2025, 10:22 PM UPDATED: Mon 4 Aug 2025, 11:26 PM
At the end of his lionhearted bowling efforts that earned India an unforgettable series-levelling win on the dramatic final morning of the fifth Test at the Oval, Mohammed Siraj attended the post-match press conference wearing a million-dollar smile.
Siraj had all the reasons to be ecstatic after his scorching delivery castled Gus Atkinson to end the English lower-order batter’s heroic resistance and earn India one of the greatest victories in their Test cricket history.
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With nine wickets in the match, including five in the second innings that helped India defend the target of 374 by the narrowest of margins, Siraj not only came out of Jasprit Bumrah’s shadows, but he also galloped into the realm of India’s biggest match-winning heroes.
“I just woke up in the morning with the belief that I can win the match for India,” he said, referring to the delicate position at the end of the fourth day when England needed 35 runs to win with four wickets in hand.
“I felt I could win the match for India if I bowled in the right areas. I am happy that we won, and 1.4 billion people in our country are now smiling. This is a special feeling.”
It’s hard to believe that the man who kept the Indian dream alive in the gruelling five-Test series against England once struggled to get a game even in club cricket.
It was just over a decade ago that Siraj was playing for corporate teams in Hyderabad for a mere 200 rupees per match. His father, Mohammed Ghouse, could not even afford to buy ‘proper shoes’ for his matches.
But it was his mother, Shabana Begum, who never gave up on her son’s cricket dreams.
She pleaded with Abdul Azeem, a former Indian first-class cricketer, to give her son a chance to prove his talent at the state level.
Shabana Begum used to work in Azeem's sister's house to make ends meet.
“His mother would almost every day ask me to help her son. She used to tell me, 'Please help my son, he is not interested in studies, he only plays cricket all the time',” Azeem told the Khaleej Times in 2020.
It was Azeem who eventually helped Siraj get into a club team before giving him an opportunity to impress the Hyderabad under-23 team selectors in a trial match.
“He ended up taking three top-order wickets in the trial match, which earned him a place in the state under-23 team,” Azam had told us almost five years ago when Siraj was trying to break into the Indian team for a regular spot on the back of his domestic and IPL (Indian Premier League) performances.
Now with 23 wickets in the England series after bowling some relentless spells of fast bowling, Siraj not only won a billion hearts in India, but also earned an admirer in Joe Root.
The star England batter, who scored 105 and raised England’s hopes of an improbable win at the Oval with his stunning 195-run partnership with Harry Brook (111), showered praise on Siraj.
“He’s a warrior, a real warrior. He’s someone you want on your team; he’s that kind of character. He gives everything for India,” Root said of Siraj, who bowled 187 overs across five Tests.
Azeem, who passed away in 2023, had credited Siraj’s roots for his never-say-die spirit.
“He comes from a tribe that used to be Nizam's security. They are tough people. He has climbed up the ladder in a very short span of time….his is a miraculous tale,” Azeem had said.
Without Siraj on Monday, there would have been no miracle for this young Indian team that was written off before the start of the series.
Rituraj Borkakoty is Sports Editor and has spent more than two decades writing on his sporting heroes. He also loves an underdog story, so if you have one, share it with him. He would love to bring it to life.