Ashish Nehra's pep talk and Rahul Dravid's coaching helped Mohammed Siraj

As the selectors named the 16-man squad for the T20 International series against New Zealand, Mohammed Siraj’s dream to represent India finally got closer to realization. The 23-year-old who represented Sunrisers Hyderabad in this year’s IPL season credited Ashish Nehra for his recent success which propelled his selection to the national team.

Mohammed Siraj who picked up 10 wickets in the Indian Premier League this season hails from a very humble background and only dreamt of things he has achieved in his young career thus far. In an interview, he detailed how the veteran Ashish Nehra had been a helping hand for him, early financial struggle, his parents’ reaction and his future aspirations.

Nehra’s pep talk has helped me take my game to the next level

Having bowled alongside the southpaw during his IPL stint with the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Siraj was all praise for Nehra and lauded him for his success.

“I have played with Nehra bhai at Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2017. He has given me a lot of tips during net sessions. The tips helped me improve my game a lot, He never made me feel that he was a player who has played 20 years of cricket. He treated me like a younger brother. He told me how to fool a batsman with variations.”

Recalling his moments with the veteran, Siraj described how Nehra showed him how to grip the ball and also to notice the batsman’s footwork closely and then change his line and length.

“Ball aise pakad, aur aise daal. Batsmen ke footwork ko dhyaan se dekh aur fir line aur length change kario. His pep talk has helped me take my game to the next level. He has told me how to read a batsman’s mind,” Siraj further added.

While Nehra is all set for his last international outing in the first T20 match against the Kiwis at his home venue Feroz Shah Kotla, Siraj is hopeful of being a part of the XI with the veteran pacer.

“It needs a lot to serve 20 years to cricket. Nehra has done it. He is a legend. He deserves a fitting farewell. I am not sure whether I will play in the opening T20I or not, but If I will get a chance, it is going to be a very big moment for me. First donning India colours and sharing the same field with my favourite captain Virat Kohli and Nehra,” Siraj said.

Rahul Dravid is an excellent coach

The right-arm fast bowler got a chance to work with Rahul Dravid during his India A stint, the legend asked him to maintain his bowling style and he will improve and to not experiment with the basics.

“Just like his batting, he is an excellent coach too. He told me one thing — not to experiment with my bowling style and run-up. He said, bowl as you have been doing and you will improve automatically with time,” the youngster said.