Umpires told us to walk off, but Australian crowd abusing made me mentally strong: Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj, the Indian fast bowler, said that the Australian crowd hurling abuses at him didn’t push him into his shell. Rather it motivated him to stay on the ground and perform to the best of the ability. During the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, a few drunken supporters resorted to racial discrimination after which they were evicted from the venue.

The 26-year-old Siraj, thereafter, went and complained to the umpires after which appropriate actions were taken. Stand-in Indian skipper Ajinkya Rahane also had a chat with the match officials regarding the matter. Siraj said that the umpires gave him the option of walking off, but the continuous jeering only pumped him to perform better.

It was a difficult phase for me: Mohammed Siraj

“Australian crowd started abusing me, it made me mentally strong. Not letting it hamper my performance was my prime concern. My job was to inform that I was being abused, I told the entire matter to captain Rahane.

“Umpires told us that you can walk off the field and leave the game but Ajju bhai told the umpire that we won’t leave, we respect the game,” Siraj told the reporters.

Prior to the series, Siraj lost his father, but he stayed back in Australia for national duty. After returning to India following the Border Gavaskar Trophy, he went to the burial ground from the airport to pay respect to his father.

The Hyderabad-born Siraj admitted that the phase wasn’t easy for him by any means. He also expressed gratitude to his family, his fiancée, and the Indian team for having his back in the tumultuous times.

“It was a difficult phase for me, I lost my father and it was a bit taxing on me mentally. I spoke to my family, they told me to fulfill the dream of my father, my fiancée also backed me and the entire Indian cricket team was behind me.

“It was an emotional moment for me today, I went to the graveyard. I entered my home, my mother started crying as soon as she saw me. I ate home-cooked food after a long time and it was really good to be back home,” he added.

In the three Tests in Australia, Siraj picked up 13 wickets with a match-winning five-wicket haul in the fourth and final game at The Gabba in Brisbane. India won the series 2-1, coming back from their defeat in Adelaide.