Bad phases come in every player’s life: Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj had a forgettable IPL this season as the Hyderabad-born pacer could pick only nine wickets from fifteen matches at a poor economy of 10.08. He also reached the undesirable feat of conceding the most number of sixes in a single IPL season (31), which signifies his mediocrity in the mega event.

Fortunately, the star Indian seamer doesn’t seem to be shattered by his recent failures. Speaking to ANI, Siraj said that he had two brilliant IPL seasons prior to this one and every player goes through some tough phase in his professional career. He also stressed that a good career always consists of successes as well as failures and a player’s career graph becomes dull if it doesn’t fluctuate. 

"I had performed really well in the last two seasons of IPL, and this is the same Mohammed Siraj who couldn't do much in this season. This is the phase which comes in every player's life. If one's graph doesn't fluctuate, then it gets really dull. A good career is always full of ups and downs", Siraj said. 

Siraj, who has represented India in 21 international matches, heaped praises on the two young Indian sensations Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik. He addressed Arshdeep as a ‘great pacer’ for his ability of nailing perfect yorkers at will and admitted to be impressed with Umran’s sheer pace. Further, he advised the two youngsters to keep themselves fit in order to have an effective career. 

“Arshdeep is a great pacer, the way he bowls his yorkers is just fabulous. Umran is a talented guy who is getting appreciated for his amazing pace. I would like to advise them to focus on their fitness", the India-pacer said.

Continuing, Siraj hailed IPL for unearthing fine domestic talents and giving them the opportunity to showcase their skills on the global level. He also termed India’s current pace attack as ‘really strong’ as the country these days possesses a lot of bowlers who can bowl at an excess of 140 kph. 

“IPL is a platform which always gives young players a chance to prove themselves. Currently, the pace attack of India is really strong. Earlier, it used to be a rare thing for a bowler to bowl at 140kph but now we have some bowlers who can do that, "the 28-year-old concluded.